6 April to 20 April

Changing the future by remembering the past

Most schools I visit on behalf of the Holocaust Educational Trust have an astonishing mix of ethnicities, religions and cultures. Somehow once a year, remembering the Holocaust gives them and all of us pause for thought in how we handle, in our daily lives, the fear of strangers, the dislike of the unlike, that is at the root of prejudice. I recently heard about some teenagers who'd been guilty of racist attacks, who had been taken to Auschwitz, to see where that road can lead, and it had been for some of them a life-changing experience.

Last November the Archbishop of Canterbury and I travelled to Auschwitz with leaders of all the faiths in Britain. As we lit candles and prayed together at the end of the railway lines that carried more than a million victims to be gassed, burned and turned to ash, I felt that we were planting a seed for the sake of future generations. Although none of us can change the past, by remembering, we can change the future. And though we cannot bring the dead back to life, by taking a stand against hatred we can help ensure that they did not die in vain.

The Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks.