Cross party support has been secured for the construction of a Holocaust National Memorial and world-class Learning Centre, with £50 million of government funding and an education programme, to marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The Prime Minister’s Office writes:
Britain will have a new National Memorial and world-class Learning Centre using the latest digital technology to commemorate and educate about the Holocaust Prime Minister David Cameron has announced at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
The National Memorial and Learning Centre are 2 of the recommendations made today by the cross-party Holocaust Commission set up by the Prime Minister which has spent the last year investigating how the country should ensure that the memory of the Holocaust is preserved and that the lessons it teaches are never forgotten
The Commission, which has been chaired by Mick Davis and included the Chief Rabbi, Helena Bonham Carter, Natasha Kaplinsky, Sir Peter Bazalgette and cross-party representation from Rt Hon Ed Balls, Rt Hon Simon Hughes and Rt Hon Michael Gove, has today recommended:
- a striking and prominent new National Memorial should be built in central London to make a bold statement about the importance Britain places on preserving the memory of the Holocaust and stand as a permanent affirmation of the values of British society
- a world-class Learning Centre should sit alongside the memorial. This should be a must-see destination using the latest technology to engage and inspire vast numbers of visitors. It would also be responsible for developing a physical campus and online hub bringing together a network of the existing Holocaust organisations across the UK and supporting them in driving a renewed national effort to advance Holocaust education across the country
- an endowment fund to secure the long-term future of Holocaust education – including the new Learning Centre and projects across the country
- an urgent programme to record and preserve the testimony of British Holocaust survivors and liberators
All 3 parties have agreed that government will commit £50 million to the creation of the National Memorial, Learning Centre and endowment fund.
