A HOLOCAUST survivor joined political, religious and community leaders in Cardiff (Monday, 26 January 2026) as Wales held its national Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in advance of the official day tomorrow.
The service, held at the Temple of Peace, honoured the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, as well as the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides. Holocaust Memorial Day is observed each year on 27 January, marking the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945 — the largest of the Nazi death camps and a chilling symbol of the industrialised atrocities of the Second World War.
This year’s theme, “Bridging generations”, highlighted the responsibility of younger generations to carry forward the lessons of the Holocaust, ensuring that memory and education continue as the number of living survivors declines.
Cardiff council leader Huw Thomas said the city stood united in remembrance.
“As we gather for Holocaust Memorial Day, Cardiff stands in solemn remembrance of the millions of lives taken in the Holocaust and in genocides since,” he said. “We honour those who suffered, those who resisted, and the generations who have carried their memories forward.
“Just as one generation speaks to the next about dignity and the fight against hatred, so too must we continue that work here in our city. May tonight strengthen our commitment to building a Cardiff where every community is protected, every person is valued, and the lessons of the past are never forgotten.”
Among those attending were First Minister Eluned Morgan, Lord Mayor of Cardiff Cllr Adrian Robson, and Reverend Canon Stewart Lisk, honorary chaplain to Cardiff council.
Cllr Robson emphasised that the Holocaust must remain a permanent part of the nation’s collective memory.
“We must ensure future generations understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences,” he said. “We vow to remember the victims of Nazi persecution and of all genocide.”
Ms Morgan reflected on the importance of the theme of bridging generations.
“Remembrance must not end with the survivors — it is a message we must carry forward. We must engage actively with the past, to listen, to learn and to build a bridge between history and hope for the future.
“Wales understands the importance of tolerance and remembrance. We stand side by side tonight and show our unwavering commitment to byth eto — never again.”
Among those present was Holocaust survivor Peter Lantos, born in Hungary in 1939 and deported as a child to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he survived until liberation in 1945.
The commemoration also heard from a representative of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, alongside young ambassadors who shared their experiences of the Lessons from Auschwitz project, an educational initiative for students aged 16 to 18.
Reflections were delivered by the Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia and representatives from the Consular Association in Wales, the South Wales Jewish Representative Council, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Pride Cymru, the Welsh Refugee Council, and Disability Wales.
Holocaust Memorial Day not only remembers the systematic murder of six million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, but also commemorates victims of later genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur, while challenging prejudice, antisemitism, and hatred in all forms.
To mark the occasion, buildings and landmarks across Wales will be lit in purple on the evening of 27 January. Members of the public are encouraged to take part in Light the Darkness by placing a candle in their window at 8pm as a shared national moment of remembrance.
