The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Don’t Stand By. This calls on us to focus on the relevance of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides to us today, and to consider our individual responsibilities not to be bystanders to hate crime and prejudice.

I had the great privilege of hosting a dinner in Parliament for Holocaust Survivors, following The Lord Merlyn-Rees Memorial Lecture, which I sponsored. There are several Holocaust Survivors in our area, including Harry Bibring and Harry Spiro.

Their stories are extraordinary. Harry Bibring arrived in Britain on the Kindertransport and never saw his parents again. Harry Spiro survived the ghetto, forced labour camps and the death marches, only making it to the UK as one of ‘The Boys’- child Holocaust survivors allowed into the UK after the war. I also had the pleasure of meeting Ben Helfgott, another Holocaust Survivor, at Radlett Synagogue last year.

Every one of their stories is unique and extremely moving. I remember the first time I met a survivor at Parmiter’s school. He showed us his prisoner number tattooed on his arm and called it out, as guards at his camp had done. It left an indelible impression upon me.

At a time of rising anti-Semitism across Middle East and indeed parts of Europe, it is vital that we keep on telling these stories, so that we do not forget the lessons of the past. This is why the work of The Holocaust Educational Trust and the courage of survivors who dedicate themselves to retelling their stories to future generations, is so vital.

I will continue to champion this cause as an MP. As a community and as a nation, we must ensure we don’t stand by and instead all join together to fight prejudice and discrimination whenever we find it.

This article appeared in the January edition of MyBushey and MyRadlett news.