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In January, Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates those who perished in The Holocaust, alongside the millions of people from various communities who continue to experience persecution.
Each year the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust UK chooses a theme for the commemorative events and this year’s theme is ‘Ordinary People’. This year, on Friday 27 January, Manchester Jewish Museum will join the marking of the international Holocaust Memorial Day with special events co-created with a group of ‘Creative Activists’.
Who are the 'Creative Activists'?
The ‘Creative Activists’ are a group of people aged 16-30, who are seeking to create powerful acts of sharing and connection with our local communities to help make a positive difference in the world. In the last few months they’ve be working with MJM as part of Imperial War Museum’s Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme, to explore creative ways of commemorating the Holocaust and connecting these stories with local communities. This event is the culmination and celebration of their fascinating work.
What's planned:
10:30-11:30 Identity & Heritage through Textiles Location: Synagogue’s Ladies Gallery (top floor of the synagogue). Meet Laura Nathan, a Manchester-based contemporary textile artist as she takes you through her reflective works, which explore her Jewish family heritage through questions, textiles, creative processes and personal narratives.
11:00-11:30 Stories and Silences through Music: Song writing and Poetry Group Performance Location: Museum gallery. Manchester Jewish Museum’s Song Writing and Poetry Group have been collaborating with the Creative Activists to create songs from their reflective poems, which were inspired by reading, listening and learning about lesser-known Holocaust and Second World War stories from the Museum’s collection.
12:00-13:00 Baking to Remember Location: Learning Studio. Limited capacity, please book a separate ticket here. Food can bring people together, it can break down barriers, start conversation and allow us to explore the diverse cultural heritages that make up the city of Manchester. In this session there'll be baking two types of bread, representing two communities who have experienced or are experiencing journeys as refugees.
13:15-14:15 Anna Lowenstein: Klezmer Fidl Concert Location: Synagogue. Anna Lowenstein takes us on a musical journey of the heritage, sounds and feelings of the Klezmer tradition as she presents a solo concert of Klezmer music in the historic setting of the synagogue.
Apart from the above events visitors will also get a chance to see MJM’s new textile exhibition, which explores themes of commemoration, personal stories and local activism. By organising this event the museum team want to give everyone a chance to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day in their own, personal way and to encourage conversations about how we all, as ‘Ordinary People’, can make connections to make things better.