Holocaust Memorial Day - 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

People across the world are today marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis' most notorious death camp.

Auschwitz was the largest concentration and extermination centre in the Third Reich – more than 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives there.

A day of international commemoration, Holocaust Memorial Day is dedicated to honouring all those, including six million Jews, who were murdered under Nazi rule during the Second World War.

The scope of the anniversary this year has been widened to include all victims of genocide in countries like Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia to try and ensure that the memory of those murdered in the name of ‘hatred for the other' are never forgotten.

More than 7,000 emaciated prisoners left behind to die by SS guards, who evacuated the Auschwitz camps after trying to cover up their crimes, were discovered by Soviet soldiers when they opened the gates on 27 January 1945.

The gas chambers they discovered were a major site for the Nazis' Final Solution which set out to systematically murder all European Jews.

The Bosnian genocide took place during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995.

In July 1995, the small town of Srebrenica saw the massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys, along with the forced displacement of an additional 25,000 to 30,000 Bosniak civilians.

Holocaust Memorial Day serves as a poignant moment to reflect on the lessons from these catastrophic events, and the hatred that fuelled them.

Antisemitism has risen sharply in the UK and worldwide, particularly after the 7 October, 2023 Hamas-led militant groups attacks in Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.

Extremist groups are taking advantage of these tensions to incite Islamophobic hatred within the UK.

As a result, many communities across the country are experiencing heightened vulnerability, with increasing hostility and mistrust among different groups.

The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 is ‘Learn for a Better Future' and is being used to emphasise the lessons that can be taken from the events, laws and propaganda that led to the Holocaust, to highlight and warn about the effects of dehumanising different groups.

Whilst racism and hatred do not always lead to genocide, all genocides begin with insidious stages including propaganda, ‘othering' and dehumanisation.

The Church of Scotland is committed to speaking out against racism, injustice and hatred both in the UK and internationally.

There are dozens of events across the country taking placing today to bring communities of all faiths and none together in contemplation and prayer for a better world.

Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will be attending "Hate is a failure of imagination", a literary and musical event at New Town Church in Edinburgh and on Thursday, he will be at the Scottish Holocaust Memorial Day Trust's ceremony at the Scottish Parliament.

Rev Fiona Smith, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly, will be in London today to attend the national event in Westminster and will be doing a reading at the service organised by the Council of Christians and Jews in Lambeth Palace, the official home of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

For Christians, Holocaust Memorial Day presents an important opportunity to reflect on the anti-Jewish teaching that has contributed to modern antisemitism and re-commit to challenging it in our churches and communities.

Among those who died in Auschwitz was Jane Haining from Dunscore in Dumfriesshire who was imprisoned after she refused to abandon Jewish girls in her care at the Scottish Mission School in Budapest, Hungary.

An ordinary yet extraordinary woman, she knew her life was in danger but was determined to stay in her post and famously said 'If these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness?'

Miss Haining died, most likely in a gas chamber, in July 1944, six months before Auschwitz-Birkenau in Nazi-occupied Poland was liberated.

Today, her bravery and sacrifice will be remembered at a service at a special cairn erected in her memory outside Dunscore Parish Church.

The life of Church of Scotland deacon Stella Reekie (1922-1982) is a shining example of a Christian who was profoundly influenced by the stark lessons of the Holocaust who put them to use in her own commitment to interfaith relations and understanding.

A nurse and childcare specialist with the Red Cross, she was present for the liberation of Bergen-Belsen in April 1945, a concentration camp in northern Germany where over 50,000 Jews, Czechs, Poles, Roma, Sinti, and anti-Nazi Christians and homosexuals were killed.

Described as an "inspirational" person, Miss Reekie worked with the children from the camp to treat malnutrition and disease.

She witnessed first-hand the devastation and loss of life that can result from ideologies that elevate one group above another or strip individuals of their humanity due to their differences.

Miss Reekie went on to serve as a missionary in Pakistan and on her return to Glasgow in the 1970s, served displaced people within the Pakistani and Indian communities as they settled in Scotland.

Her flat on Glasgow Street, known as the International Flat, became a gathering space for people of different religions and cultures – new Scots.

A haven of peace and tranquillity, she offered cooking, sewing and language lessons as well as practical advice about housing, employment and social services.

Miss Reekie's commitment to serving people who were not Christian with such warmth and hospitality provided an inspirational model for the Church of Scotland in an increasingly diverse Scotland.

It is a life worth remembering on Holocaust Memorial Day.

Her experiences of devastation deeply influenced her work, which continues to inspire interfaith efforts in Scotland today.