Dudley came together in recent days to commemorate the Holocaust Memorial Day at Dudley College’s Student Union.
The annual memorial event in Dudley takes place ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on 27th January to mark the date that the Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated in 1945.
Serving as a memorial to those who suffered and lost their lives as a result of the Holocaust, the deeply moving service is organised by Lord Ian Austin and local councillor Kieran Casey, with the Holocaust Education Trust, and was well attended by local civic representatives, the public and Mike Wood MP.
The theme for the 2026 service focused on Bridging Generations, highlighting the essential role of the next generation in safeguarding the memory of the Holocaust and ensuring it endures—underscoring that remembrance is a shared responsibility that extends beyond the survivors.
Mike Wood MP, Member of Parliament for Kingswinford & South Staffordshire, was amongst those who renewed his annual pledge to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust and speak out against all forms of antisemitism.
Mr Wood said:
“It is an honour to be able to join the rest of the community to commemorate such an important historic occasion in Dudley.
The Holocaust is a dark chapter of human history, and we must never forget the victims and those who suffered the destructive force of antisemitism at the hands of the Nazis. I was incredibly moved by Holocaust Survivor Peter Lantos BEM’s account of the horrors he endured at Bergen-Belsen at just five years old.
Thank you to Lord Austin, the Holocaust Education Trust and everyone involved in organising this poignant event. We will never forget them.”
Elsewhere, it was a privilege to sign the Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Condolence in Parliament.
The Holocaust is a dark chapter of human history, and we must never forget the victims and those who suffered the destructive force of antisemitism at the hands of the Nazis.
