Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has today (3 September 2020) announced the appointment to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation of:
- Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England
- Mona Siddiqui OBE, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh
- Matthew Westerman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum.
The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation is an expert committee that advises the government on Holocaust Commemoration including plans for a new Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens next to Parliament.
The new members, all leading figures in their professions, will play a key role in advising the government on Holocaust remembrance, and on the construction and operation of the new Memorial.
With their knowledge and expertise from the fields of finance, academia and museum management they will further strengthen and broaden the already excellent advice provided by the Foundation.
The Memorial will be the focal point for national remembrance of the Holocaust and learning and is dedicated to the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust and all other victims of the Nazis and their collaborators.
The Learning Centre will focus on teaching about the Holocaust and subsequent genocides and will educate future generations on the importance of fighting prejudice and persecution in all its forms.
Placing the Memorial next to the seat and symbol of parliamentary democracy reaffirms the United Kingdom's commitment to Holocaust commemoration and serves as a permanent reminder of the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy to be vigilant whenever those values are threatened.
Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
I am delighted to welcome such an accomplished group of members to the board of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation. They will bring unique professional perspectives to the Foundation as we move forward with the Memorial.
This year marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau. It's unacceptable that 75 years after liberation, incidents of antisemitism are still rising in the UK and demonstrates why it is so important to remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust and all other victims of Nazi persecution.
The UK Holocaust Memorial will serve as a continual reminder to us all of why we need to make a stand against antisemitism, racism and hatred, whenever and wherever we find it - something that this government will always do.
Co-chairs of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, Rt Hon Ed Balls and Rt Hon Lord Eric Pickles said:
Our new members will strengthen the Foundation and we look forward to them bringing their knowledge, experience and expertise to the table.
Education on the Holocaust and subsequent genocides is one of the most powerful tools we have in the battle against antisemitism, racism and misinformation. Our new Foundation members will help us ensure we deliver an iconic Memorial and a world-class Learning Centre.
Matthew Westerman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum said:
I look forward to contributing to the successful establishment of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre which will be a powerful institution in the fight against prejudice and hatred in all its forms.
I'm confident the complementary narratives presented by the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre and IWM's upcoming new Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries will help more people than ever to understand the impact of this terrible period in world history.
Mona Siddiqui OBE, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh said:
Memorials are places for remembering but also learning. Racism and prejudice corrode society. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to better education about the past and hopefully a more just vision for all in the future.
Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England said:
I am very pleased and honoured to be appointed to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation and to have the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of a Memorial and the Learning Centre that will help combat prejudice and persecution in all its forms.
