(JTA) — Britain will contribute about $3.4 million to help preserve the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp memorial.
The donation to the foundation for the preservation of the former death camp site will be used for restoration and preservation.
“I am determined that the government should take an active approach to preserving the memory of the Holocaust," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday. "Auschwitz-Birkenau is a searing reminder of the horrific consequences of intolerance and hatred. It should never be forgotten.
"I am proud that the UK is able to play a part in commemorating the millions of victims who died there, educating future generations of the evils of that period in history and ensuring its preservation for many years to come.”
More than 3,000 British students visit Auschwitz-Birkenau each year through the British Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz project.
"Just as we collect and preserve the stories of eyewitnesses, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that Auschwitz-Birkenau stands as a perpetual reminder of the pain and destructive force of hate," Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said Thursday at the Jewish Museum in London, which he toured with the Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and the Polish ambassador, Barbara Tuge-Erecinska. "We must ensure that the lessons from the Holocaust are taught today and to future generations.”
More than 1 million people visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau site each year.
