The mayor of St Albans has hosted a service to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
Councillor Jamie Day helped mark the annual event which commemorates Holocaust victims and those lost in other genocides.
The service was held at St Albans Masorti Synagogue on January 26, the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day.
The event paid tribute to the six million Jews and millions of other individuals murdered by the Nazis, and victims of later genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, and elsewhere.
Councillor Day, mayor of St Albans City and district, said: "Our commemoration service was one of many thousands held around the world.
"It was a very moving and emotional experience and I thank everyone who took part in this important occasion.
"It was great to see our community stand together and honour the millions of people who lost their lives, showing their opposition to prejudice and hatred."
More information about Holocaust Memorial Day can be found at hmd.org.uk.
Local rabbis contributed to the programme, which included poignant accounts from Holocaust survivors, including Auschwitz survivor Kitty Hart-Moxon.
High Sheriff of Hertfordshire, Annie Brewster, and St Albans MP, Daisy Cooper, recited eyewitness testimonies, while the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss, delivered a moving address.
Two Year 13 pupils from Roundwood Park School in Harpenden shared what they had learned from studying the Holocaust and participating in the Holocaust Educational Trust's Lessons from Auschwitz programme.
Musical performances included a violin solo, a string quartet, and a rendition of a song composed by Viktor Ullmann.
Towards the conclusion of the service, a candle was lit by the Lord Lieutenant in remembrance of those who perished in the Holocaust and other genocides.
This was followed by a minute’s silence.
Holocaust Memorial Day is observed every year on January 27, the date of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
This year marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation in 1945.
The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is the importance of remembering and learning from the Holocaust and more recent genocides for a better future.
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