Wolves are supporting The Holocaust Education Trust - the leading UK charity working to raise awareness and to educate about the Holocaust by holding a moment of reflection.
The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Ordinary People’
This theme invites us to consider the millions of ordinary people affected by the events of the Holocaust and the hundreds of communities which were destroyed or changed forever.
Today we encourage our staff and supporters to pause for a moment of reflection by watching the short film An Introduction to the Holocaust.
We can also stop and reflect about the many ordinary people who risked their lives to save or hide the Jews of Europe. Or we might want to think about the ordinary people who perpetrated these events in a bid to understand where hatred and antisemitism can ultimately lead.
Between 1939 and 1945, Jews across Europe were forced into ghettos, separated from the rest of their towns and villages, starved, beaten, and deported to concentration and death camps where they were murdered. Other communities were killed in forests and other locations, close to where they had lived for centuries. The Nazis attempted to kill every Jew, wherever they could be found.
Britain and its allies fought the Nazis and in the final months of the war many soldiers witnessed horrific scenes as they liberated the camps. These memories stayed with them for the rest of their lives, and many veterans were never able to speak about what they saw.
After the war, several survivors having lost parents and siblings, and having experienced unimaginable horrors, eventually came to Britain and rebuilt their lives. These people, who are now in their 80s and 90s, have made amazing contributions to British society, becoming teachers, dentists, architects, businessmen and even Olympic champions.
The crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators shook the world, and are remembered every year on Holocaust Memorial Day, 27th January, the day that the notorious concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated. On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis. We also remember other victims of Nazi persecution, including the Roma and Sinti community, homosexuals, disabled people, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and political opponents. We remember the atrocities of the past, and pledge to ensure that mankind does not repeat the same mistakes again.
Over the last four years, as part of the Premier Leagues Academy Enrichment Programme, activities have been targeted at age groups from under-9s to under-18s to develop their potential in a variety of settings, both beyond the classroom and football pitch.
One of those has seen Wolves' under-14 players take part in the ‘Football Remembers the Holocaust’ programme, which helps young players understand the issues relating to the Holocaust's past, present and future. This weekend, as part of the Wolves U14s vs Leicester City U14s fixture at Compton, both teams will gather at the centre of the pitch and hold a minutes silence.
In October 2020, the Premier League adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, as part of its ongoing commitment to promote equality and diversity, and to combat discrimination of any form in football.
Next month, Wolves have invited Lord Mann, independent government advisor on antisemitism and Kick it Out ambassador to deliver antisemitism awareness training to staff to ensure football remains welcoming and safe for all.
Wolves would like to reiterate its zero-tolerance approach to all and any forms of harassment and discrimination whether online or at Molineux.
Discriminatory behaviour of any kind has no place in football or society, if you witness any act of hate, discrimination or abusive behaviour, you can confidentially report it by clicking here and following the methods displayed.
