The Opening Ceremony of the Northwood Holocaust Memorial Day Events took place on Monday 26th January 2009 at Northwood United Synagogue.
Northwood Holocaust Memorial Day Events actually took place over four days and was organised jointly by Northwood United Synagogue and Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue with the support of their respective Rabbis, Rabbi Alan Plancey (NUS) and Rabbis Aaron Goldstein and Hillel Athias-Robles (NPLS). Additional satellite sessions will take place during the week at Bushey United Synagogue, Rabbi Meir Salasnik and at Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue, Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer.
Attending the Opening Ceremony were Cllrs Sandra Parnell of Harrow, Brian Crowe Mayor of Hillingdon, Keith Crout Vice Chair Watford BC, Jan Brown Chair Watford BC, John Nickolay Mayor of Harrow, Joyce Nickolay Mayoress of Harrow, Chris Lloyd Chairman Three Rivers, Judith Hassan OBE Holocaust Survivors Centre, the Rabbis and members of the two synagogue boards/council.
The students were from Northwood College.
Rabbi Plancey gave the opening speech and he welcomed the students and the VIPs. He said it was important that the students could witness a survivor and hear their story so they could take away the message that such atrocities must never happen again, and influence their own behaviour be it in the playground or at home.
There followed a short specially commission film about Kristallnacht, then Rabbi Goldstein gave a short speech. He said that the lessons of the Holocaust had even been learned by the two Northwood Jewish communities, who although they had different religious approaches choose to emphasise what they have in common, a love of life and a celebration of their common humanity.
The speaker was Ziggy Shipper a survivor of the Ghettos, Camps, Slave Labour and Death Marches. He said that people ask why he bothers to tell his story, and his answer is that he tells it for those who did not survive. He had come to England after the war and how lucky he was to be in England. It has done so much for him, in no other place could an 'ordinary' man like him have met the Queen 3 times, meet 3 Prime Ministers and been invited to 10 Downing St. He made the point that he was not bitter as he does not hate. He urged the students - the young people - not to hate. He said hate is self destructive and it makes you a bitter person. He said the young were most important, they were the doctors, lawyers, politicians etc of tomorrow, and should know what had been allowed to happen in the past.
The students then went into workshops with specially trained facilitators and the session closed with a short candle lighting ceremony.
