THE horrors of the Holocaust were remembered yesterday in a solemn ceremony in York.

A candlelit vigil was held at Clifford’s Tower, where people joined in prayers for genocide victims on Holocaust Memorial Day.

The historic landmark was the scene of the Jewish massacre of 1190, and a series of events encouraged people to remember the victims of ongoing conflicts around the world.

Following the vigil, City of York Council’s chief executive, Kersten England, and the Lord Mayor of York, Coun Sue Galloway, hosted an event at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall where two survivors, Trudi Silman and Sangeewa Winolith, spoke about their experiences.

There was also a performance by pupils from Canon Lee and Fulford Schools, music, displays and a short film.

The memorial day theme was Untold Stories, with the victims of atrocities in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur also being remembered.

York events also include a screening of the film Everything Is Illuminated, the tale of a young Jewish-American who tries to find the woman who saved his grandfather during the Holocaust, at City Screen at 5.30pm on Sunday.


The day 150 Jews lost their lives

THE present-day Clifford’s Tower stands on the site of the massacre of York’s Jewish population 821 years ago.

On March 16, 1190, a large group of Jews took refuge from a baying mob inside the then-wooden castle, and rather than be slaughtered by their pursuers, many took their own lives.

However, others perished in the flames when the tower was set alight and those who finally surrendered were murdered. One account claims 150 people lost their lives.

A plaque placed at the site commemorates those who died and has seen the tower become a reminder of the devastating legacy of religious and racial intolerance.