Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre was honoured to take part in the Holocaust Memorial Day event in Mansion House on January 29th 2023. This event is organised by Holocaust Education Ireland and remembers all victims of the Nazi Holocaust, including the 6 million Jews, and 500,000 Roma brutally killed during this time.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD, Minister Roderic O’Gorman TD , Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy were all in attendance and gave opening remarks, as well as powerful contributions from Holocaust survivors Tomi Reichental and Suzi Diamond.
Roma singer Monika Paszkowska gave a moving performance, singing a song created by a group of Roma during the Holocaust. Captured in a Polish town by Nazis a group of Roma composed this song as a warning to other Roma, telling them the fate that awaited them if they entered the town. In this way the song managed to save Roma lives.
Vanessa Paszkowska and Bianca Tanase, both community workers with Pavee Point Roma Programme, took part in the candle lighting ceremony – lighting candles for all Roma victims of the Holocaust, along with representatives honouring Jewish, LGBTI+, ethnic minority, and disabled victims of Nazi atrocities.
This commemoration serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of racism and discrimination and allows people to reflect on the past and learn lessons that are still relevant today.
Photo caption – Pavee Point Roma Programme with singer Monica Paszkowska and Pavee Point Chairperson, Anastasia Crickley at the Holocaust Memorial Event at Dublin’s Mansion House, 29 January 2023.