A series of conversations between Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish youth movements took place this week as part of a unique inter-generational project marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belsen by British forces.
As part of a collaboration between Jewish News, the Board of Deputies, Yom Hashoah UK and Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors Centre, Shoah survivors and refugees Isa Brysh, Henny Franks, Renee Salt, Renie Inow, Janine Weber and Ruth Barnett each met for one-to-one recorded interviews with youth workers from UJS, Bnei Akiva, RSY-Netzer, Habonim Dror, BBYO, JLGB and FZY.
Amidst warm conversations and traumatic memories interspersed with laughter, together they reflected on remembrance, responsibility, and the role of young people in carrying memory forward.
Instead of sharing their full testimony, survivors offered a message for the next generation, handing over a signed, handwritten note for the young person to pass on to their community.
Message to BBYO’s Felix from Holocaust Survivor Henny Franks. Pic: Michelle Rosenberg
Janine Weber, who survived the Holocaust by moving between hiding places in occupied Poland, met with FZY’s Aimee Soller and wrote: “I hope young people will stand up to racism and anti-Semitism. They must not forget the six million Jews who were murdered, including most of my family.”
Kindertransport survivor and member of the British Army’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, 102-year old Henny Franks met with BBYO’s Felix Hart and wrote: “Try and be happy even if you’re not because when you laugh the world laughs with you, but when you cry, you cry alone.”
Jonah Levy, a second-year student from Bristol University representing RSY – Netzer, who met with Kindertransport refugee Renie Iow, said: “I think it’s really important that we remember the atrocities of the past, never forget and that we keep moving on towards a peaceful and harmonious future.”
Pic: Michelle Rosenberg
Sarah Jane Burstein, Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre and outreach coordinator, said: “Intergenerational work with survivors to support them in sharing their experiences, as part of their legacy, has never been more important and is something we prioritise.
“Jewish youth organisations play a vital role in ensuring future generations remain connected to their history, preserving the memory of survivors and learning the lessons of the past. This was an incredibly uplifting and important session for our members as we mark the 80th year since the liberation of Bergen Belsen.”
Chair of Yom HaShoah UK, Neil Martin, told Jewish News that “bringing survivors and refugees together with the next generation on the milestone is what this is all about. This is about survivors knowing that their legacy is in safe hands, and the next generation seeing and hearing first hand from those experiences, the tragedy of the Holocaust, to know how important that message is, to carry forward and to ensure that never again means never again.”
He added: “I believe the Holocaust Survivor Elie Wiesel said, when you hear from a witness, you become a witness. As those first hand testimonies sadly fade away with time, the more people that can have heard those stories can then take that legacy and make it their own to pass on to future generations.”
Holocaust Survivor Janine Weber with FZY’s Aimee Soller
“What’s been wonderful to see is obviously the the young people are inspired and in awe of the survivors. But even more than that, is the gratitude and hope and joy that the survivors have from seeing young people taking interest in their stories. It is inter-generational work at its best.”
Board of Deputies campaigns officer Ariella Knoble–Gershon said: “As a teenager I was very involved in my youth movement, and it was an opportunity to celebrate my Judaism with like-minded people. This campaign is crucial, as the next generation has a crucial role in passing on the stories and experience of Holocaust survivors. We must never forget what they went through and must continue to cherish the survivors and their memories.”
The youth movement workers taking part were Amy Conway (UJS); Ariella Wolfson (Bnei Akiva); Lottie Blankstone (Habonim Dror); Felix Hart (BBYO);
Aimee Soller (FZY) and Tali Leigh (JLGB).
The meetings were recorded and will form part of a video for the national Yom HaShoah campaign, encouraging attendance at the UK 80th year commemoration of the end of the Holocaust on 23rd April.
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