Lord Pickles warns of ‘sinister’ age of indifference over Shoah remembrance

Lord Pickles yesterday expressed fears we are entering a ‘sinister’ age of indifference when it comes to Holocaust remembrance.

The UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues was speaking at the Association of Jewish Refugees’ two-day conference, Remembering & Rethinking: The International Forum on the Kindertransport at 80.

Lord Pickles said that as the number of survivors declined, “we are going through a very strange time. I think we are entering into an age now of indifference.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

“We are used to dealing with Holocaust deniers, but I think the age of indifference offers a more putrefied world than Holocaust deniers.”

He always imagined Holocaust deniers, whether they were 16-year-old girls or an old man, “as a 40-year-old man, living with his mum and who has never had a girlfriend – a very strange bunch”.

Lord Pickles speaking at the AJR event. Credit: Adam Soller Photography

However, Lord Pickles added, “what I am seeing now is something more sinister – total and unqualified indifference. People say: ‘so what if six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Who cares, it was so long ago. Stop being morbid, stop wallowing in ancient death’.”

He stressed that “facts no longer have a power to shock”, adding that “we need to adopt a new set of skills and we need to think what the age of indifference means”.

While praising the UK, France and others for the way they dealt with Holocaust remembrance, Lord Pickles said that “unfortunately, though, history is often forgotten or rewritten”, attacking Hungary for its approach to its pro-Nazi wartime leader, Miklós Horthy.

Lord Eric Pickles @EricPickles ,special envoy for post Holocaust issues: “there’s a whole industry out there who wants to say the Holocaust didn’t happen. But our job is to hold on to the truth.” pic.twitter.com/ZAPqrQZ8SG

— H.E.T. (@HolocaustUK) April 15, 2019

And he singled out the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán, which, he said was “minimising the country’s participation in the Holocaust and rehabilitating war criminals”, such as wartime leader, Horthy.

“Hungary was the first European country after the First World War to put in place legislation that restricted Jewish participation in higher education. Hungary passed racial laws like the Nazis in 1938 and 1939.”

He said it was therefore essential that the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was located next to Parliament in Victoria Tower Gardens, despite significant opposition by residents in the area, architects and organisations, such as the Royal Parks, a charity which looks after Victoria Tower Gardens.

“I can’t emphasise enough the importance of the location of the memorial. Its location is the whole point of it,” Lord Pickles said.

Also speaking at the event was James Brokenshire, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whose father-in-law was rescued by Berlin-based MI6 agent Frank Foley.

Thanks to @JBrokenshire for speaking at our #Kindertransport conference today #KTForum pic.twitter.com/1liMd3sFf1

— Assc Jewish Refugees (@TheAJR_) April 15, 2019

He said the “Kindertransport has shaped us as a country. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children, from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. It’s something we remain very proud of, yes. But equally, we can be proud of the incredible contributions of the Kinder to the life of this country.”

He added: “The Kindertransport is a story of great pride, yes. But it is also marked with deep sadness at every turn. It provokes painful questions. Why only children? What happened to the parents? What became of brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles?

James Brokenshire speaking at the AJR event. Credit: Adam Soller Photography

“Sadly, we know that the Kinder were often the only surviving members of their family. It is a painful legacy – but one we must remember.

“And the Holocaust has had a monumental impact on our country’s history, our democracy and our values. Even today, it continues to shape us: from people like me with connections to survivors and refugees, to our society at large as we continue to stand up and challenge the scourge of antisemitism

“That is why it is right that we remember the Holocaust – and have a Memorial here in Britain,” stressing that “as we mark the anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen – by British troops so wholly unprepared for the horrors they found – it is important we all reflect on what they confronted there”.

Brokenshire went on to “reassure our country’s Holocaust survivors, Kinder and refugees that this important Memorial will be delivered, because we remain determined that our country stands together against the hatred, ignorance and bigotry that led to the Holocaust and other genocides”.

The Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre had to be “next to our Houses of Parliament, at the heart of our democracy, standing as an important reminder of parliament’s power to oppress – and its duty to protect”.

The AJR conference, in the plush surroundings of Lancaster House next to Green Park, also heard from Ambassador Michaela Küchler, the German Foreign Office’s Special Representative for Relations with Jewish Organisations, and a host of other speakers, including Syrian refugee Abdulazez Durkhan.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Read more

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

Help us here