Respects paid and stories told at Holocaust Memorial Day in Elgin
RESPECTS were paid and stories told at a Holocaust Memorial Day event at Elgin Town Hall at the weekend.
Hosted by Interfaith Moray and led by Interfaith Scotland director Maureen Sier on Saturday afternoon, the event brought people from different faiths together to remember people globally that have been persecuted.
There was a focus on the Holocaust as Maureen told the story of her husband's Jewish family, who suffered at the hands of the Nazis in World War II. Victims of scores of other genocides were also mentioned.
Pastor Wilfred Masih, from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, helps run Interfaith Moray. He said: "The event went really well and we got just over 50 people so I thought it was a good turnout for the first time for such an event.
"The people that attended got a bit of insight into how families and communities have been impacted by what happened in the Holocaust when Maureen Sier shared her husband's family’s story.
"He was from a Jewish family and she shared how his family suffered during the Holocaust. She told her story and everyone got a feel of what happened.
"We also had various representatives of different faiths sharing a prayer or reading from the Bible and there was also singing.
"It was a time to remember all persecution, discrimination and hatred that is going on right now especially in the Middle East, so it was quite a global relevant event."
Moray's deputy lieutenant Lisa Kerr, who is the head teacher at Gordonstoun School, read a Bible passage and attended the meeting with eight of her pupils.
Pupils held a candle-lighting ceremony where they all said a few words about representing various genocides.
"That was a really important part of the ceremony," Pastor Masih added. "The students did a great job.
"I would like to thank everyone that came along and especially the guest of honour Lisa Kerr."
The event is set to return next year, with Ms Kerr and hopeful it could be held at Gordonstoun – which was founded by a Jew.
Some of the other guests on the day were Saffron Hanvidge, a Gaelic singer from Inverness, Dan and Stella Urse, from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Reverend Vincent McQuaid who represented the Roman Catholic Church.
