Council marks Holocaust Memorial Day
The Vale of Glamorgan Council joined people across the world in marking Holocaust Memorial Day this week.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Lis Burnett attended an exhibition at the Council’s Art Central Gallery and read the Statement of Commitment. The statement vows to remember the horrors of the holocaust and its victims and to educate and fight against discrimination.
Chief Executive of the Council, Rob Thomas, also attended the exhibition and read the statement in Welsh.
The exhibition, ‘Chambre’ and ‘De Blaue Diamant’, at the Art Gallery features works by Vale of Glamorgan artist David Green which centre around the theme of ‘Underground’ and are based on underground resistance movements during the Second World War and ordinary people.
A second exhibition about the Hans and Sophie Scholl ‘White Rose’ story was also on display by artist and teacher Nicola Tucker.
The exhibition is running from 14 January until 25 February 2023.
This International Day of Remembrance commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Council has marked this day each year since 2007, honouring the millions of victims of the Second World War Holocaust and subsequent genocides that have taken place in other countries.
In 2023, the Vale of Glamorgan Council is commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day with a number of events and exhibitions.
The Council also marked the date by lighting Penarth Pier Pavilion and Barry Town Hall, as well as other locations in Barry in Purple from Friday 27 until Monday 30 January.
Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Council said: “The Council is marking Holocaust Memorial Day with exhibitions both at Art Central in Barry and also Penarth Pier Pavilion. There will also be a film shown at the Pier Pavilion on Friday which is linked to the book that the exhibition is based upon.
"The reason why it’s important is because history actually shapes our today. We know that there is still a lot of prejudice within society and sometimes its useful to look back, to remember and to pay due attention to the lessons of something as horrendous as the holocaust. I think that today’s exhibition in the Art Central very much brings home the horrors of that time.”
Rob Thomas, Vale of Glamorgan Council Chief Executive said: “This year the theme 
from the Holocaust Memorial Trust is ‘Ordinary People’ and the theme of this exhibition is ‘Underground’. We’ve actually got two artists that are displaying their work here this year. One based around physical structures and we’ve got one exhibition based around the story and background of resistance in Germany in the 1940s.
"It’s really interesting on many counts because it’s personal stories but also interesting and really important from the perspective that we learn from the past. The reason why we put this on every year is because its vitally important that we learn from what’s gone before and so that society can learn from it in general.”