Speaking to a National Jewish Assembly audience recently, Baroness Ruth Deech reiterated her view that the proposed site for the Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre is in the wrong place.
In a Question-and-Answer session on zoom, the Baroness said that the subject “grievously upset” her as “it is neither about the Holocaust nor is it a Memorial.”
She told James Marlow, who was asking the questions “It’s driven largely by those who are not experts on the Holocaust” and went on to say, “they are doing it for reasons that have little to do with the Jewish community.”
In 2013 then Prime Minister David Cameron proposed a Holocaust memorial and education centre be built in the heart of Westminster at a cost of more than £75 million with an extra £25 million being raised by the Jewish community.
It quickly received cross part support in the House of Commons and in the Lords. But many objected including Westminster city council, local community groups, some Holocaust survivors and various Jewish community members.
Baroness Deech stressed that the memorial centre was not just going to commemorate the Holocaust, “but Roma, Rwanda, LGBT and so on – and once you do that, tragic as those other genocides equally are, you start to dilute the message.”
She made it clear that the message should be “one of hatred.”
When James pushed on the questions, the Baroness revealed why she was extremely passionate about the issue.
“I went to a large Holocaust Day commemoration in London and who do I see in the front row – Jeremy Corbyn”.
Elsewhere in parliament there is a book with “Never Again” on the front cover which MP’s line up to sign.
Ruth said, “Who do I see waiting to sign the blank book – Jeremy Corbyn, Baroness Tonge, and suddenly it dawned on me – terribly sorry about 6 million dead Jews, look at me I am not an anti-Semite, but then go on to attack Israel and today’s Jews.”
Baroness Deech also talked about school children receiving Holocaust education “but then go on to university to demonise Israel”.
There are around 12 Holocaust Memorials in Britain and questions were raised as to why another is needed at a huge cost, when the money could be better spent elsewhere on hatred, anti-Semitism and why the deaths of 6 million Jewish people occurred.
The National Jewish Assembly have regular high-profile speakers addressing their members whilst at the same time revealing their thoughts and opinions.
