Holocaust Memorial Day moved to April or May

Service in Guernsey

Guernsey had traditionally marked the holocaust with a service in January each year

At a glance

  • Holocaust commemorations in Guernsey will align with the Jewish calendar from now on

  • Members of the Jewish community requested that the dates were aligned with Yom HaShoah

  • Services in Guernsey will move from January 27 to April or May depending on the Jewish calendar

A Holocaust commemoration, usually held in Guernsey each January, will now be held in April or May, to align with Yom HaShoah, the day it is marked in Israel.

It followed a request in 2021 to the Dean of Guernsey from members of the Jewish community to align the dates.

A new working group, including the dean and members of the Jewish community, will now develop plans for this year’s event.

Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, president of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, said: "It was felt that by moving our commemoration to align with the Jewish Yom HaShoah, which takes place in April or May each year, this will give the commemoration a wider audience with a significant multi-faith emphasis."

The Very Reverend Tim Barker, Dean of Guernsey, said: "Aligning with the Jewish community’s wishes felt like the right thing to do."