Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond Park, yesterday signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment.

In doing so, Mr Goldsmith pledged to remember the Holocaust and honour both its victims and the survivors who continue to educate young people today.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on January 27 and is the anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history.

After signing the Book of Commitment on Monday (January 22), Zac Goldsmith said: “Holocaust Memorial Day has become an important opportunity for people across the country to remember the uniquely appalling events of the Holocaust.

“As time passes and the Holocaust moves from living history, to just history, it becomes even more important that we remember the victims and pay tribute to the survivors.”

In the lead up to Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events have been arranged by schools, faith groups and communities across the country, remembering the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The theme for this year’s commemorations is ‘The power of words’.

Karen Pollock MBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “The Holocaust did not start in the gas chambers but with hate filled words.

“Our mission is to educate young people from every background about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance.

“We are very grateful to Zac Goldsmith for signing the Book of Commitment, signalling a continued commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust as well as challenging antisemitism, prejudice and bigotry in all its forms.”