Liverpool and the Holocaust
Special event at Museum of Liverpool to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
Images available on request
This Thursday 26 January, the Museum of Liverpool will be hosting a special event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2012.
Never forget: Liverpool and the Holocaust, which is a joint event with the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), will take place at the new Museum between 3 and 4pm on Thursday, and will feature an illustrated talk by Eric Cohen with an introduction by Guido Alis.
Guido escaped to the UK from Czechoslovakia with his family in 1938, and their story features in a Holocaust Memorial Book created by the AJR, which they have kindly given to the Museum of Liverpool for its collections.
The book tells the stories of many of the children who escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s and settled in Liverpool, and will be on display in the Museum of Liverpool on 26 January.
Bill Longshaw, Curator of Social History said:
"The Museum is all about telling the stories of the city and its people and these people encompass a wide variety of communities, including, Black, Irish, Chinese and Jewish amongst others. We represent as many of these communities as possible throughout the Museum in displays, interactives and trails and this new addition to our collections will interpret an important part of Jewish history in Liverpool.”
The Museum of Liverpool runs the Our City, Our Stories programme, which enables local people and communities to present their interpretation of the Museum's themes and objects through working with the Museum of Liverpool team.
Bill continues:
“We were delighted to accept the Holocaust Memorial Book from the AJR into our collections. It’s a fantastic contribution, and working with them on this particular event demonstrates exactly how the Our City, Our Stories programme should work to get local communities involved in their brand new Museum.”
For more information call 0151 478 4545 or visit www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol
Every year on 27 January, the world marks Holocaust Memorial Day. Holocaust Memorial Day provides an opportunity to share the memory of the millions who have been murdered in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur in order to challenge hatred and persecution in the UK today.
Notes for editors
The Museum of Liverpool has received generous support from several major funders, along with grants from trusts and foundations, corporate support and individual donations.
Major funders include the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) works to deliver economic success in England’s Northwest by building the competitiveness of businesses, people and places. The Agency is the strategic lead for tourism in the Northwest and works with the region’s five tourist boards to support and grow our £13 billion visitor economy. For further information please visit www.nwda.co.uk
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is making a real difference to people and businesses in the Northwest. With €755 million to invest between 2007 and 2013, ERDF is enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment. ERDF in the Northwest is managed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). For further information please visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects allocating £4.5billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk
About National Museums Liverpool
National Museums Liverpool comprises eight venues. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic.
We attract more than 2.6 million visitors every year. Our venues are World Museum, the Walker Art Gallery, Merseyside Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, UK Border Agency National Museum, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Art Gallery.
In July 2011, our eighth venue, the Museum of Liverpool, opened at the city's Pier Head, part of the city's World Heritage Site. The museum tells the definitive story of Liverpool and its people and contains more than 6,000 items. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/
Please contact: Lucy Cattell in the press office for more information on this release.