Select a region
A UK MP has caused outrage and upset among some members of the global Jewish community with comments he's made about digging up remains buried in Alderney since the Second World War.
Just under 400 people were known to be buried in Alderney, having died while working at one of four labour camps the German occupying forces set up in the island.
Some historians believe the true number of people buried in the island is far higher.
Pictured: Drone photogrammetry data showing the area of the former forced and slave labourers’ cemetery from 2019 TV documentary Adolf Island.
Interest in the island's dark history has grown in recent years, through a number of documentaries including Adolf Island, aired last year, and Dan Snow's work looking at life in Alderney during WW2 and beyond.
But while the numbers and exact location of the graves are contested by many, it has been known since 1945 that prisoners from Operation Todt and "volunteers" from Europe were housed - and died - in camps on Alderney. These were known as Lager Sylt, Norderney, Lager Borkum and Lager Helgoland.
Pictured: A still from the Adolf Island documentary showing parts of Alderney.
Last month saw the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Berkenhau camp in Poland. That date itself having been commemorated as Holocaust Memorial Day around the world each year since 1945.
On #HolocaustMemorialDay we remember those who lost their lives in the Shoah and subsequent genocides. On this particular occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we must keep the memories alive and #StandTogether against voices of hatred today. pic.twitter.com/IjpLYNTI3G
— Matthew Offord MP (@Offord4Hendon) January 27, 2020
Mr Offord has previously spoken out about Jewish burial rights, and is known to work with Britain's Chief Rabbi who lives in his constituency.
He told the British Parliament that the graves in Alderney do not constitute a proper rightful burial for those victims, and that by identifying them they could at long last be given a "proper resting place".
That view is not shared by the Director of the National UK Jewish Heritage Trail, Marcus Roberts, who has blogged about his opposition to any move to dig up the Alderney graves.
Pictured: Marcus Roberts wrote a blog for the JTrails website, which can be read in full HERE.
"The offence and out-rage caused by these sentiments in the community and outside the community cannot be underestimated," wrote Mr Roberts, "with one rabbi phoning me nearly in tears with the news and requests from Alderney and abroad, asking me to respond to the proposed disturbance and removal of the graves."
Mr Roberts also wrote in his blog that as a Holocaust researcher and educator, his is troubled that the Holocaust commemorations are so focused on Auschwitz that British people forget the events which happened on British soil in the Channel Islands.
Pictured top: There are still physical reminders of Alderney's war time past.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.