Photos and video: National Holocaust Memorial Day 2024 in Haywards Heath

The event, which was organised by Haywards Heath Town Council and Amnesty International Haywards Heath, was held at the Muster Green War Memorial on Friday morning, January 26.

It began with a commemoration ceremony where students from Oathall Community College, Warden Park, and Great Walstead School laid stones on the memorial.

The Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Lady Emma Barnard, attended the service.

She said: “It’s very good to be here to share in this act of remembrance with you all and very encouraging to see both young and old stand together to show the nation that peaceful communities are those where the wisdom of years gives vision to those who are following us. Let our example today encourage our young people that peace throughout the world is a vision worth having.”

Haywards Heath town mayor Stephanie Inglesfield thanked Amnesty International and all of the attendees, including guest speaker Peter Kammerling.

“Our gathering has an intrinsic value,” she said. “We can use our gathering in the future when we need strength and when we need hope.”

She continued: “We meet at a very difficult time. Throughout the world we see examples reminding us that the human race has not learned and has not made cruelty, injustice, unkindness and violence things of the past. These things are real and they are present on our screens, radios and newspapers every minute of every day.”

The mayor said: “Small as our act may seem, let us commit to peace in our homes, schools, offices and between our fellow citizens of this town and country.”

Mid Sussex District Council chairman Rodney Jackson also welcomed attendees to the event and Daniel Feld read a poignant quote from Dr Jacob Bronowski on a visit to Auschwitz. Robert Feld read The Mourners Kadesh before the gathering walked to Haywards Heath Town Hall, lead by school pupils holding a candle of hope.

The indoor part of the ceremony featured a talk by Peter Kammerling about his father Walter and mother Herta (nee Plaschkes), who were both born in Vienna and who both came to England on the Kindertransport in the 1930s. His talk covered the history of his other older relatives and detailed the antisemitism experienced by Jewish people after the annexation of Austria by Germany on March 12, 1938 (the Anschluss).

During the talk he said: “As a result of the Nuremberg laws now applying in Austria, as well as in Germany, the Jews were made to clean the streets. My father talks about having to run the gauntlet to and from school and he was caught and beaten up a couple of times. On another occasion he was made to clean the streets.”

The indoor part of the service featured butterfly artwork by Oathall Community College and Great Walstead School. This art was based on NHMD’s theme ‘The Fragility of Freedom’. The indoor part of the service also featured a reading of The statement of commitment for Holocaust Memorial Day by the school students, as well as a speech by Imam Morad Hosin of the Haywards Heath Mosque about the importance of peace.

Young people from Great Walstead School sang ‘Shalom Chaverim’ with Hebrew, Arabic and English lyrics.