Survivor To Light Holocaust Candle

27 January 2015, 07:36

A special candle will be lit by a survivor of the Holocaust as events are held on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.

Ela Weissberger, 84, will visit Kyle Academy in Ayr as pupils come together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

She will light a candle designed by sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor, commissioned by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to create 70 candles to mark 70 years since the liberation of the Nazis' largest death camp on January 27 1945.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will also attend an event in the town which will feature musical performances and presentations from school pupils.

Hasan Hasanovic, 39, a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia, will join Ms Weissberger in detailing their personal experiences.

The events mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2015, the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.

They have been organised by Interfaith Scotland in partnership with South Ayrshire Council, the Scottish Government and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

The trust expects more than 2,400 events to take place across the UK at community centres, schools, libraries, museums, arts venues, prisons, railway stations and places of worship.

Holocaust Memorial Day has been marked in the UK since 2001.