Auschwitz asks Britain for help to preserve death camps as Holocaust memorial (Adam Teladia)

Auschwitz asks Britain for help to preserve death camps as Holocaust memorial

January 13, 2010 11:02 AM

Dear Khalid Mahmood,

I hope that you are aware that The Times newspaper today reported (Auschwitz asks Britain for help to preserve death camps as Holocaust memorial) that tomorrow (Thursday 14th January 2010) Jacek Kastelaniec the director-general of the Auschwitz-Birkenau foundation will go to the cabinet office to press the government on Gordon Brown's promise to contribute to a endowment fund that will guarantee the preservation of one of the main sites of the holocaust.

I would like to urge you to contact the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office asking that tomorrow they make a firm commitment for the UK to contribute a considerable amount to the endowment fund and to let the foundation know how soon the contribution will be made.

I hope that you will agree with me that it is essential that a site of such prominence be conserved so that people can see what terrible consequences our prejudices against those different to ourselves can lead to.

On my visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau I realised how important it is for us to stand up to discrimination as I saw what had happened to those who suffered when others turned a blind eye to what was happening.

Please can I also encourage you to contact the European Union and ask that EU funds are made available to the endowment fund for this project as the second world war was a leading factor in the creation of the predecessor organisation to the EU and the EU is a great example of how we can prevent something like this happening again. We must all admit that the greatest success of the EU has been the peace and security that has been delivered through neighbours trading and working together to better the world.

Yours sincerely,

Adam Teladia