Holocaust remembrance day in Sweden
The Living History Forum is appointed by the Swedish Government to promote the commemoration of the National Holocaust Memorial Day on the 27th of January. This includes both arranging an official ceremony in Stockholm and supporting other events around the country.
An official ceremony organized by The Living History Forum has been held annually since 2004 at the Raoul Wallenberg Square in the city centre of Stockholm. From 12 noon to 6 PM the entire square is lit up by 1,000 burning candles of memory and an exhibition is on display.
This year's exhibition, “To me there’s no other choice – Raoul Wallenberg1912–2012”, portrays Raoul Wallenberg’s courage, his audacity and his creative solutions which saved the lives of thousands of people. The exhibition is produced in cooperation between The Living History Forum, the Swedish Institute and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Every year The Living History Forum announces a theme for the commemoration day. Educational material and information on this theme is published on our web, easily accessible for teachers.
2012 is declared as the Year of Raoul Wallenberg and marks 100 years since the birth of this human rights hero. The Living History Forum will stimulate and commemorate Raoul Wallenberg’s life and achievements.
This year’s official ceremony takes place at 4 PM in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Daniel of Sweden, the Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden, Holocaust survivors, Members of Parliament, foreign ambassadors, students, and the public.
Keynote speaker this year is Kofi A. Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Swedish Prime Minister, Mr. Reinfeldt. The opening speech will be held by Mr. Eskil Franck, Director of the Living History Forum.
Before the official ceremony a candle manifestation will be held for human rights. Further, a memorial concert, oratorio The Righteous by Boris Borisov and Robert Neufeldt written in memory of Raoul Wallenberg, will commemorate his deeds and his fate.
The Living History Forum also arranges, annually, a ceremony in cooperation with the Swedish Parliament.
Through-out the Living History Forum’s national network for the Holocaust Memorial Day, a big number of events will take place around Sweden on the 27th of January.
