Respected Hitchin councillor Judi Billing has told Nub News she was honoured to chair a Holocaust Memorial Day event this morning [Thursday, January 27] at North Herts Council.

Holocaust Memorial Day aims to inspire a better future, with day recalling the six million Jews who were killed under Nazi persecutions as well as those who died in subsequent genocides including Rwanda.

The powerful, emotional and thoughtful local event brought together a team of local faith leaders, and those with a local connection and shared wider experience.

This included families of the 'Kindertransport'. the Letchworth post war Jewish community and those, who, such as Ms Billing, are children of refugees from Hitler's genocide.

People whose own families were decimated by hatred and unimaginable crimes against millions of adults and children for the crimes of being Jewish, gay, or disabled.

Amongst those who contributed this morning were historian Yanky Fachler, from the Jewish Historical society of Ireland, Carol Eini from Israel, Trevor Avery from the Lake District Holocaust Project and Rabbi in Residence Alan Garber, who has been connected with the event since it started in 2020.

The event sadly missed its Poet in Residence, John Gohorry, who died suddenly in October but whose daughter, local writer Zoe Folbigg read the poem that he had written for the event.

An annual competition to inspire children to learn more about many dreadful genocides of modern times was also held, while prizes were awarded for artwork and a marvellous piece of writing, which Zoe also read to the international audience.

Ms Billing, the council's Exec Member for Community Engagement told Hitchin Nub News that "I am also the daughter of a refugee from Hitler's Berlin and have always been entitled to apply for German Citizenship as my father was made stateless by Hitler.

"I had never got round to doing this but was so upset by the result of the EU referendum in 2016 that I finally decided that I would.

"The pandemic made this a slow process but I was delighted to be awarded German Citizenship late last year and am now just waiting for my passport to arrive to complete my dual nationality and sense that I still very much belong in Europe."

Light a candle for Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 - find out more here