Human rights events

Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

The Welfare Ystradgynlais and the Josef Herman Art Foundation Cymru present a moving and thought-provoking event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), observed annually on 27th January to honour the memory of the millions who suffered under Nazi persecution during the Holocaust. 2025 commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the infamous concentration camp in south-west Poland, by Russian troops on 27th January 1945.

The evening began with a presentation by the Josef Herman Art Foundation, exploring the life and work of Josef Herman, a renowned Polish refugee artist who found a welcoming home in Ystradgynlais. Also an exhibition of some of his works.

Following the presentation, a poetry reading connected history, art, and remembrance.

The event culminated with the screening of A Real Pain, a new film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as mismatched cousins who reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history

Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

HMD2023 was remembered by a small audience (COVID-19 restrictions continued) we watched the film the Silent Village in Swansea College of Art University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

British propaganda short film in the form of a drama documentary, made by the Crown Film Unit and directed by Humphrey Jennings. The film is the true story of the massacre of the Czech village of Lidice by the Nazis. Retold as if it happened in Wales.

The actors were the mining community of Cwmgiedd and Ystradgynlais in the Swansea Valley.