• by Fern Siegel , January 27, 2025

January 27 marks Holocaust Memorial Day, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

Britain's Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and its agency St. Luke's, created the 2025 work "Remembering the past for a better future." The campaign was inspired by the knowledge that the 80th anniversary is likely to be the last milestone year where Auschwitz survivors are able to share their testimonies first-hand.

St Luke’s creative is shown across hundreds of digital OOH sites in the U.K., including the Piccadilly Lights, at 8 p.m. GMT tonight (3 p.m. ET in the U.S.)

The image is a photo of a grandfather and granddaughter whose hands cradle a candle, the HMDT's symbol of peace and remembrance. Shot by portrait photographer James Day, Ocean Outdoor and JCDecaux worked in partnership with HMDT to ensure widespread coverage across OOH spaces.

Holocaust Memorial Day remembers the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, along with the millions of people killed under Nazi persecution. It also remembers the lives lost during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, and the Yazidi genocide.

Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive Officer of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: “As the Holocaust fades further into history, it becomes increasingly challenging for younger generations to connect with a tragedy so distant from their own experiences. This is why St Luke’s campaign, featuring a poignant image of a grandfather and granddaughter cradling a candle, is so powerful. It symbolizes the bridge between generations, ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust endure and are never forgotten."

The BBC is broadcasting the annual Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony on television for the first time since 2020. There is also coverage of the Auschwitz Ceremony from Poland.

Ed Palmer, managing director of St Luke’s, said: “Now more than ever, we hope the message 'for a better future' prompts reflection on the Holocaust and other genocides of the past.”

This is the third year St Luke’s has partnered with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.