Participation piques for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tyneside with sold-out events

Eighty years on since the Holocaust began, today the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Participation in the event on Tyneside has soared with several events attracting sell-out crowds.

Newcastle's Discovery Museum is marking Holocaust Memorial Day with two free events focusing on Jewish heritage.

Yesterday, on Wednesday, January 26, a talk was given by the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Noreen Plen.

Noreen grew up in North East England and will shared the heartbreaking story of her parents’ Polish Jewish families, the Kurz and Waksman families, whose lives tragically changed when the Germans invaded Poland in 1939.

Tickets to the talk were sold-out ahead of time.

The second event at the Discovery Museum will take place on Friday, January 28 and explores Jewish life on Tyneside from the 18th century to the current day.

In includes a short gallery tour and object sharing session, as well as stories from Tyneside life during the Second World War.

Again, places at the event have sold-out ahead of time.

Kylea Little, Keeper of History at Discovery Museum said: “We’re very pleased to be able to take part in this year’s Newcastle Holocaust Memorial Day programme; we’re looking forward to welcoming Noreen Plen to share with us the painful story of her parents’ and grandparents’ experiences of persecution and their courage in the face of unimaginable fear.

“In the second event, we’ll be able to share stories from the museum collections on a face to face basis to a limited number of people too.”