Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research in the United Kingdom
1. Overview
4. Resources
International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2012:
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust's theme for this year is Speak Up, Speak Out, urging people to speak out against hatred and discrimination. Many signed pledges in Trafalgar Square in London on the eve of memorial day.
In a special video message, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, urged people to find the courage to speak up for the rights of neighbours and strangers, "for people like us and also for people not like us."
"Holocaust Memorial Day brings back to our minds the appalling consequences of a situation when people don't speak for their neighbour and don't speak for the stranger, when people are concerned for their own security, their own comfort zones. And when we look back on that tragic history, one of the things that prevents it from being a totally dark night is the presence of some of those who were willing to speak for strangers and to take risks alongside strangers."
On Thursday 26th January at 1:30pm children took part in a ceremony planting the Anne Frank rose, for the first time in the UK, at Manchester Jewish Museum. The visitors will also have a chance to examine a newly opened exhibition entitled "The Windermere Boys". This tells the heartwarming story of 300 young survivors of the Theresienstadt ghetto that were brought to England in the autumn of 1945 and were housed in the Calgarth estate, built to house workers at an aircraft factory. Their stories of re-entry into normal, civilized life will surprise and delight you. The exhibition is funded by Arts Council England.
Anne Frank: A History for Today exhibition at the Marryat Hall in Dundee, host of the national commemorations, for the week of Holocaust Memorial Day. A class from each local secondary school will have a guided tour. Community groups and the public will also visit. Workshops have been given to a group of young people in supported accommodation and inmates of local prison Castle Huntly.
Following a program of work on Anne Frank and the Holocaust, St Mary's Kenmure Secure Unit will be holding a commemoration on 27th. More information can be found here.
Members of the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) gathered on Monday 23 January 2011 at the Belsize Square Synagogue, London NW3 to commemorate the annual Holocaust Memorial Day. More information is available in the official press release.
The City of York is holding a series of 18 public artistic and educational events for Holocaust Memorial Day 2012. These include workshops for primary and secondary schools, talks, debates, contemporary and historical exhibitions, film screenings and two major commemorative events. A focus of the events is the role played by international human rights defenders. Organizations hosting events include the University of York, York St John University, York Refugee Action, York City Council and CityScreen Picture Houses. More information can be found here.
To mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2012 on the 27 January itself the Jewish Museum welcomed 50 year 9 students from City of London Girls School to hear testimony from Kindertransport Refugee Bea Green. Also present was the Deputy Mayor of Camden and 50 members of the general public. It was a very uplifting event and Bea was incredibly inspiring. Kaddish was recited by volunteer Larry Ross. The students and visitors also visited our permanent Holocaust gallery which focuses on the story of camp survivor Leon Greenman as well as our installation on the Kindertransport. Over the course of January the Jewish Museum hosted over 25 schools for Holocaust Workshops in the run up to Holocaust Memorial Day.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the UK
Click on one of the images to view the gallery (4 pictures).
Holocaust Remembrance Day in Scotland:
Dundee:
Scottish National Holocaust Memorial Day Event- held on 26 January. This was hosted by the Scottish Inter Faith Council in partnership with The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, The Scottish Government and Dundee City Council and held in the Caird Hall. Guest speakers were Rabbi Bent Melchior, an international, award winning peace activist from Denmark and former Chief Rabbi of Denmark who spoke about the rescue of the Danish Jews during the Holocaust; and Fukimo Ishioka, curator of the Holocaust museum in Tokyo, Holocaust survivor George Brady, and his daughter Lara, who spoke about Hana Brady and the story of 'Hana's Suitcase'.
George, Larry Winstein (the film director) and Fumiko engaged with audiences across Scotland including speaking at a primary school in Broughty Ferry where their interaction with the school children went out to schools in Scotland via 'Glow Meet' (Glow is the online community for Scottish school).
2000 primary school pupils attended a special morning Holocaust Memorial Day event in the Caird Hall, Dundee, on the 26th January.
Edinburgh:
Scottish Parliament- Two former students from East Dunbartonshire who had participated in the Lesson from Auschwitz Project, delivered the Time for Reflection at the Scottish Parliament on 18th Jan. A members' business debate on Holocaust Memorial Day, led by MSP Stewart Maxwell, took place on 25 January.
HMD 2012 - The City of Edinburgh Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration Event was held on 25th January at Portobello High School.
Ernest Levy Exhibition - Edinburgh Libraries hosted the Ernest Levy Exhibition at Central Library on George IV Bridge as part of this year's Holocaust Memorial Commemorations following the official launch event on the 23rd January. The Ernest Levy archive was gifted to City of Edinburgh's Library and Information Services.
Film Showing - The film 'Inside Hana's Suitcase' was shown at the Edinburgh Filmhouse on 23rd January. George Brady, along with his daughter Lara, Film Director Larry Weinstein and Fumiko Ishioka who set up a Holocaust museum in Tokyo, engaged in a moving Q&A with the audience after the show.
Glasgow:
Film Showing - The films 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' and 'The Roundup' were shown on the 26th January at the Glasgow Film Theatre to Glasgow pupils. Guest speaker was Henry Wuga, a former kinder.
School event - On 27th January Glasgow hosted a school event in the Glasgow City Chambers with George Brady and family as key guests
Pupils in Glasgow have been studying the Holocaust since October with a pioneering project which saw five schools train a group of pupils to conduct tours round a travelling Anne Frank exhibition.
East Renfrewshire:
The East Renfrewshire Holocaust Memorial Day event was held on 30th January at Eastwood Park Theatre. Journalist Pennie Taylor spoke about how genocide happens and there was drama presentation and film by secondary pupils.
Envoy on Post-Holocaust Issues submits report on Holocaust education in the UK, 15 December 2010
Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) service to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
9 November 2010
(see attached flyer)
Presentation by the Delegation of the United Kingdom to the June 2010 Plenary of the ITF; The Holocaust Educational Trust's "Lessons from Auschwitz" Project: Structure & Impact (Presenter: Alex Maws)
link to speech
UK Holocaust Memorial Day
http://www.hmd.org.uk/about/
Each year on 27 January the world marks Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2011 in the UK is ‘Untold Stories'. Detailed information about this year's theme can be found at the following link:
http://www.hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2011-untold-stories
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust supplies a Campaign Pack for anyone who is interested in planning a HMD activity on or around 27 January. It is available free of charge on request
(http://www.hmd.org.uk/resources/campaignpack)
An Overview of Holocaust-related activities in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom's long-standing commitment to Holocaust education, research and remembrance precedes its instrumental role as a founding member of the International Task Force.
In 1991 England was the first European country to make Holocaust education a mandatory subject in the History curriculum at all state secondary schools.
Holocaust education has long been of importance in the UK, and since the Stockholm Declaration in 2000 we have seen many important developments, including the government funding of programmes for young people and teachers. The UK will continue to strive to commit future resources to learning about the Holocaust and reflecting on its legacy for generations to come.
United Kingdom Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues
Head of UK Delegation to the ITF
- As many as 70000 Jewish people, mostly from Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany found refuge in Britain prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. This included 10000 Kindertransport children.
- UK members of the Task Force include: 45 Aid Society, Association of Jewish Refugees, The Holocaust Educational Trust, Imperial War Museum, the Institute of Education (University of London) and the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
- The UK is home to one of the oldest archives recording the Holocaust and the Nazi era. Founded soon after the end of the First World War, The Wiener Library Institute of Contemporary History is unique in that, unlike other Holocaust archives, much of its collection was gathered at the time the events occurred.
- The UK is also home to a number of academic institutions with leading historians and scholars working in the field of Holocaust research.
The efforts of UK NGOs have raised awareness of the Holocaust across society. Her Majesty The Queen opened Europe's largest permanent historical exhibition on the Holocaust at the Imperial War Museum (IWM), the United Kingdom's national museum of the social history of conflict in June 2000. The UK has held a national Holocaust Memorial Day since 2001.
The Government has continued to support Holocaust education, research and remembrance, including providing funds to the Holocaust Educational Trust for their Lessons from Auschwitz Project, the Institute of Education for their Holocaust Education Development Programme as well as supporting the work of the Anne Frank Trust UK, and the Holocaust Centre.
The UK has taken the lead in delivering Holocaust education to teachers, pupils and the wider community.
There are a wide number of NGOs working in the field of Holocaust education in the UK. These include: Anne Frank Trust UK, the Holocaust Centre, the Holocaust Educational Trust, The Imperial War Museum, the Institute of Education (University of London), London Jewish Cultural Centre, the Jewish Museum, London, and the Jewish Museum, Manchester.
The Holocaust has been part of the mandatory History curriculum in England since 1991 and is often taught in other subject areas including Religious Education and English.
The numerous Holocaust education NGOs have worked across the UK with teachers, students and the wider community. They have developed ground breaking programmes, including:
- The Imperial War Museum's Holocaust Education Fellowship Programme, creating a network of educators who have undertaken sustained historical learning, and pedagogical development in the field.
- The Holocaust Educational Trust's Lessons from Auschwitz Project. This is a four part programme that takes students between the ages of 16 and 18 to visit the former camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau and allows them the opportunity to develop their own citizenship focused project on their return.
- The Institute of Education's ground breaking national research and nationally delivered continuing professional development programme.
- Anne Frank Trust UK have worked in towns and cities across the UK and often work in prisons to disseminate the wider message of the Holocaust.
- The Holocaust Centre has taken the lead in the UK in developing The Journey, a programme aimed at younger students.
- The London Jewish Cultural Centre has organised seminars in the Ukraine (Dniepropetrovsk in 2002 and 2003, Kiev in 2004 and Lviv in 2006), as well as breaking new ground in Belarus (in Novogrudek and Minsk) despite a tightly structured educational system in that country.
- Each year the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust develops specific teaching and learning materials on a chosen theme for teachers to use in their schools.
The UK is strongly committed to paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, and to honouring its survivors.
This commitment is demonstrated in many ways, three of which are illustrated here:
The Holocaust Centre opened in September 1995 in Nottinghamshire. It is Britain's only dedicated Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre and provides facilities for people of all backgrounds and persuasions to explore the history and implications of the Holocaust. Recently awarded museum status, it houses a permanent exhibition on the Nazi period and offers space for reflection in the memorial rose gardens. It is also home to the UK's only Holocaust related exhibition for younger students (aged 10 -11) called 'The Journey'. Visitors from around the UK and further afield come to learn, to remember and to reflect upon the Holocaust and its consequences for our world.
The Imperial War Museum London houses the UK's national permanent exhibition on the Holocaust and uses historical material to tell the story of the Nazis' persecution of the Jews and other groups before and during the Second World War. Photographs, documents, newspapers, artefacts, posters and film offer stark evidence of persecution and slaughter, collaboration and resistance. Toys, diaries, photograph albums, story books and hand-made mementos show individual efforts at survival and the testimony of eighteen survivors of the Holocaust brings a fresh and haunting perspective to the narrative. Education activities bring some 25000 school students into the Museum to study the Holocaust each year.
Inaugurated in 2000, the UK commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day, the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides, on 27th January each year. Alongside a national commemoration held in a different UK city each year, schools and local communities throughout the UK organise hundreds of events.
Additionally, within the Jewish community, several events commemorate Yom HaShoah including the national ceremony at The Dell in Hyde Park, London organised by the Forum for Yom HaShoah.
Although the events of the Holocaust did not take place on the British mainland there are a number of memorials throughout the country. These include: the Holocaust memorial in Hyde Park, a statue commemorating the Kindertransport at Liverpool Street Station, and a memorial to Frank Foley, a British government officer who issued visas to Jews fleeing Berling as well as a plaque located within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office honouring officials, who, like Frank Foley, acted against government policy to rescue Jews.
The UK has in recent years become the focus of Holocaust-related research activity characterised by diversity, innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
An influential factor in this process has been the research conducted by established historians, with particular achievements being Sir Ian Kershaw's biography of Hitler, Richard Evans' "The Coming of the Third Reich", Michael Burleigh's "The Third Reich: A New History", and David Cesarani's study of Adolf Eichmann, "Eichmann: His Life and Crimes". Beyond receiving international acclaim and popular readership, these works have also made significant contributions to historical knowledge and understanding.
In addition to the library of Holocaust testimonies produced by the publishers Valentine Mitchell and Palgrave Macmillan's book series "The Holocaust and its Contexts", Sir Martin Gilbert has published many books on the Holocaust including, "Auschwitz and the Allies", "The Holocaust: A Jewish Tragedy", "The Boys: Triumph over Adversity", "The Holocaust Atlas" and "The Righteous: The Unsung heroes of the Holocaust" and "Kristallnacht: prelude to destruction."
The work of these historians has raised the profile of the UK's research activities while also acting as stimuli to a younger generation of academics both within and outside the historical academy. Informed by transnational trends of research, these scholars have begun to explore issues such as representation, non-Jewish and Christian responses, memory, pedagogy and historiography; as evidenced by the scholarship of Tim Cole, Tony Kushner, Tom Lawson, Zoe Waxman, Isabel Wollaston, Nick Stargardt, Dierdre Burke and Dan Stone.
An example of how Holocaust research has expanded in the UK to absorb cultural criticism has been provided by the work of Robert Eaglestone and Sue Vice, while the emergence of genocide as an object of academic interest in the UK has been signified by the publications of Donald Bloxham, Mark Levene and Martin Shaw. Geoffrey Short and Bruce Carrington; Paula Cowan and Henry Maitles have conducted educational research into the issues, good practice, and impact of school-based Holocaust education in UK schools.
Holocaust research features within a number of university departments throughout the UK, including at Kingston (The Helen Bamber Centre for the Study of Conflict, Rights and Mass Violence), Manchester (Centre for Jewish Studies), Sheffield (the Genocide Centre), University College London (Department of Jewish and Hebrew Studies), Leeds (Centre for Jewish Studies), Southampton (Parkes Institute), and Sussex (Centre for German-Jewish Studies).
In addition, the UK also has two dedicated Holocaust research centres, the first of which was founded in Leicester in 1990. Currently under the directorship of Olaf Jensen, the Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust Studies has a long-standing reputation for pioneering teaching, research and work with the wider community, and plays an important role in disseminating advances in scholarship to broader society.
The UK's second research centre was founded at Royal Holloway University of London in 1998 and is regarded as the leading academic centre of its kind in Europe. Staffed by academics who are not only prolific publishers but also advisers to leading statesmen and international organisations, the centre organises national and international conferences as well as offering a globally unique interdisciplinary MA programme in Holocaust Studies and a PhD Studentship in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
As well as scholarly research England has been one of the first countries in Europe to undertake extensive research into teacher aims, approaches and attitudes towards Holocaust education. The research was undertaken by the Institute of Education, University of London as part of its Holocaust Education Development Programme. Over 2100 teachers responded to an online questionnaire, whilst 68 were interviewed in face to face interviews. The findings were published in September 2009.
Sir Andrew Burns
United Kingdom Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues
Head of UK Delegation to the ITF
"The UK has a longstanding commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust. Sir Andrew's appointment will ensure that we continue to support those working to right past wrongs and remain at the forefront of international discussions to make sure that the lessons of this terrible period in our history are never forgotten."
William Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 8 June 2010
Sir Andrew Burns was appointed United Kingdom Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in June 2010.
At this critical juncture when Holocaust survivors and refugees who settled in Britain are coming to the end of their lives and several post-Holocaust issues remain unresolved, Sir Andrew will drive a more coherent and strategic approach to HMG's efforts on a range of post-Holocaust issues, including implementation of the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets; resolving outstanding issues related to property and art restitution and representing the UK in discussions at the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research and the International Tracing Service.
Prior to his appointment as UK Envoy for post Holocaust issues, Sir Andrew was British High Commissioner to Canada from 2000 to 2003, British Consul-General in Hong Kong and Macau from 1997 to 2000 and British Ambassador to Israel from 1992 to 1995. He has been Executive Chairman of the Anglo-Israel Association since 2008 and is a patron of the British Friends of The Abraham Fund Initiatives.
Other members of the UK delegation
Tom Woodroffe
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Deputy Head of Delegation
Kay Andrews
National Outreach Co-ordinator, Holocaust Education Development Programme
Institute of Education
(Communications Working Group)
Suzanne Bardgett
Head of Research Department and Director of Holocaust Exhibition, Imperial War Museum
(Museums and Memorials Working Group)
Paula Cowan
Senior Lecturer in Education, School of Education, University of the West of Scotland
(Academic Working Group)
Jerold Gotel
Director of Overseas Projects, London Jewish Cultural Centre
(Education Working Group)
Ben Helfgott
Treasurer of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Chairman of the 45 Aid Society
(Museums and Memorials Working Group)
Alex Maws
Head of Education, The Holocaust Educational Trust
(Education Working Group)
Michael Newman
Director, Association of Jewish Refugees
(Communications Working Group)
Paul Salmons
Head of Curriculum and Development, Holocaust Education Development Programme
Institute of Education
(Education Working Group)
Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR)
http://www.ajr.org.uk/
Founded in 1941 by Jewish refugees from central Europe, the AJR has extensive experience attending to the needs of Holocaust refugees and survivors who came to this country before, during and after the Second World War. Today, the AJR provides an extensive range of social and welfare services, and grants financial assistance to Jewish victims of Nazi persecution living in Great Britain. Alongside these commitments, the AJR has developed and produced Holocaust research resources.
The Imperial War Museum
http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.23618
The Research Department represents the interests of the IWM's acclaimed Holocaust Exhibition and the Crimes against Humanity exhibitions and works with the staff of the Museum's Education Department to promote and nurture the understanding of the Holocaust and other genocides through a variety of means. In particular the Museum
- receives in the region of 20,000 school children for specially supported visits to the Holocaust exhibition each year
- acquires archival material and artefacts from survivors of the camps and their descendants
- deals with academic and public enquiries about both exhibitions
- gives talks to university groups and other groups wanting to know how both exhibitions were made, and on the representation of difficult subjects
- gives advice to other museums, foundations or government departments embarking on similar or related projects overseas
- represents the Museum at conferences and seminars on Holocaust and genocide themes
- undertakes occasional external consultancy, an example being the Srebrenica Memorial Room opened in Bosnia Hercegovina in 2007.
Holocaust Educational Trust
http://www.het.org.uk
The Holocaust Educational Trust was established in 1988. Its aim is to educate young people from every background about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today. The Trust works in schools, universities and in the community to raise awareness and understanding of the Holocaust, providing teacher training, an outreach programme for schools, teaching aids and resource material.
Holocaust Education Development Programme
http://www.hedp.org.uk
The Holocaust Education Development Programme (HEDP) is part of the Institute of Education, University of London. The programme's overarching aim is to transform teaching and learning about the Holocaust. The HEDP is leading world-class research on Holocaust education and delivering free professional development across England.
London Jewish Cultural Centre
http://www.ljcc.org.uk/
The London Jewish Cultural Centre is a provider of Jewish education and culture. The Centre is independent and inclusive and offers a broad range of courses, events and leisure activities throughout the year. It includes 50 courses a term in history, culture, film, art, literature, music, Hebrew and Yiddish. It regularly puts on films, lectures, performances, exhibitions and debates.
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
http://www.hmd.org.uk/
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) is a national charity formed in 2005. Its vision is that the Holocaust and subsequent genocides are known; that victims are commemorated and lessons learnt are translated into contemporary action in the UK.
HMDT is responsible for the annual, national commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). It organises a national event which provides a focus for activities and media in the UK. The national event will be held in London for HMD 2011. HMDT produces free advice and resources (http://www.hmd.org.uk/resources/local-activities-guidelines) for the hundreds of event organisers in the UK in schools and communities who hold events on or around 27 January each year. This enables them to adapt the key messages of HMD to their own audience. It also has an education website (http://education.hmd.org.uk) for teachers of all ages and subject areas who want to commemorate HMD with their students. Almost 800 events took place to mark HMD 2010 and an increase is expected for HMD 2011.
45 Aid Society
http://45aidsociety.co.uk/
Established in 1963 the 45 Aid Society consists mainly of survivors of concentration camps who came to Britain in 1945/46. The Society is active in the community, helps members and charities and is a major source of survivors who give testimony of their experiences to schools, councils and community groups.
Anne Frank Trust
http://www.annefrank.org.uk/
The Anne Frank Trust draws on the power of Anne Frank's life and diary to challenge prejudice and reduce hatred, encouraging people to embrace positive attitudes, responsibility and respect for others.
The Anne Frank Trust UK is the partner organisation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
The Holocaust Centre
http://www.bethshalom.com/
The Holocaust Centre promotes an understanding of the roots of discrimination and prejudice, and the development of ethical values, leading to a greater understanding within society. The Centre uses the history of genocide as a model of how society can break down, and emphasises how current and future generations must carefully examine and learn from these tragedies. The Centre promotes respect for human rights, equal opportunities and good citizenship.
Holocaust Survivor's Centre
http://www.jewishcare.org/pages/view.php?pid=330
The Holocaust Survivors Centre (HSC) is a Jewish social centre for survivors who were in Europe during the Second World War or came to the UK as refugees after November 1938 and on the Kindertransporte.
The Holocaust Survivors' Friendship Association
http://holocaustlearning.org/
The HSFA is a Leeds-based charity set up in 1996. Its aim is to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and use its lessons to work towards a more tolerant society in which difference and diversity are celebrated.
The Jewish Museum, London
http://www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/
The new Jewish Museum opened to the public in March 2010 and brings together two museums with complementary collections - the Jewish Museum and the London Museum of Jewish Life. The Jewish Museum London provides an enlarged home for its acclaimed collections but also an inspirational place to explore Jewish culture, heritage and identity. The galleries place the Jewish story into the wider context of British history.
Refugee Voices: The AJR Audio-Visual Testimony Archive
Refugee Voices is the groundbreaking audio-visual Holocaust testimony archive produced by the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR). It is a collection of 150 filmed interviews with former refugees from Nazism who rebuilt their lives in Britain after the Second World War. The collection consists of more than 450 hours of film and will form a very valuable resource for academics, researchers and others with a professional interest in the field of Holocaust studies.
Anthony Grenville: The Association of Jewish Refugees
With the kind permission of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies (UK), we reproduce here an article about the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) written by the AJR Journal's Consultant Editor Dr Tony Grenville. The article concentrates on the AJR's earlier years, its foundation in 1941, its activities during the wartime years and the development of the services it offered to its members in the post-war decades. It refers to many of the personalities who played a role in the AJR and contains a brief overview of the current state of the Association.
Article taken from the latest edition of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies:
The Association of Jewish Refugees
Remembering the Holocaust: UK initiatives associated with Holocaust Memorial Day
The Association of Jewish Refugees: Continental Britons
In conjunction with the Jewish Museum, the AJR produced the exhibition, Continental Britons - Jewish Refugees from Nazi Europe, which relates the remarkable and compelling story of the Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution in the German-speaking countries before the Second World War and who came to Britain.
Illustrated throughout with documents, photographs, personal memoirs, artefacts and art works, and with a concise and authoritative commentary, the exhibition follows the journey of the refugees, how they arrived, where they settled, their experiences and internment as 'enemy aliens'. It also touches on the dilemmas and challenges faced by all refugees, past and present, such as the loss of a secure home, the difficulties of adjusting to a new culture and the reception by British society. Available to be loaned, more information about the exhibition is at www.ajr.org.uk/continental-britons
The Association of Jewish Refugees Journal
First published in January 1946, the monthly AJR Journal is a rich collection of valuable articles which chronicles the story of the refugees, their traditions and customs as well as their strong cultural identity. Edition by edition the Journal tells the story of the refugees in real time, and covers in detail many historic post war events - from the Nuremberg Trials to the Declaration of the State of Israel - all from the perspective of the refugees from Nazism.
The Journal also documents the considerable contribution to Britain made by the refugees and reflects the social and cultural context of how they recreated their lives as well as the attitude and culture of the Jewish community. It also includes valuable biographical information such as obituaries and search notices. Recently digitised, back copies of the Journal are available from the AJR.
Association of Jewish Refugees Kindertransport database
The unique survey "Making New Lives in Britain" records the Continental background, journey to Britain, reception and subsequent experiences of Kindertransport refugees.
Published in the form of a statistical database with accompanying hand written accounts, the survey features information about the lives of some 1,400 former Kinder and offers real insight into the dramatic rescue of almost 10,000 children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia who found refuge in Britain.
While many memoirs have been published, no comprehensive historical study, archival record, or data survey of the Kindertransport has previously been available. The questionnaires also give a fresh perspective of the Kindertransport programme, which brought unaccompanied children across Europe to security in Britain between December 1938 and the outbreak of war in September 1939. For more details about the project and to access the database visit www.ajr.org.uk/kindersurvey
Association of Jewish Refugees Memorial books
The AJR has commissioned and published a series of Holocaust memorial books containing the personal commemorations of AJR members in six regions across the North of England and Scotland, honouring their loved ones who perished in the Holocaust.
In addition to copies deposited at Beth Shalom and the Imperial War Museum, each of the six books are available at Yad Vashem, and could form a valuable and easy-to-use resource to the teaching of the Holocaust in schools.
Dr Anthony Grenville's book
Jewish Refugees from Germany and Austria in Britain 1933-1970: Their Image in 'AJR Information' (Vallentine Mitchell, 2009) by Dr Anthony Grenville is the first history of the refugees who fled to Britain from the German-speaking lands after 1933. Its main source of material is the monthly journal of the Association of Jewish Refugees, the refugees' own organisation, which has been appearing since 1946.
The book begins with an account of the refugees' arrival and early years in Britain before and during the war. It then describes the first quarter-century of refugee settlement in Britain after 1945, starting with their decision to stay in Britain and, in the majority, to take British citizenship. Subsequent chapters analyse the refugees' relations with the British and Anglo-Jewry, the distinct 'Continental' identity and social culture that they developed, refugee culture, the economic, professional and occupational profile of the refugee community and its everyday life in Britain. The book ends with a chapter on the refugees in the 1960s.
Paula Cowan, University of the West of Scotland, UK delegate Academic Working Group.
The Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum
http://www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.1454
Under the cover of the Second World War, for the first time in history, industrial methods were used for the mass extermination of a whole people.
The Holocaust Exhibition uses historical material to tell the story of the Nazis' persecution of the Jews and other groups before and during the Second World War.
Taking as its starting point the turbulent political scene in Europe immediately after the First World War, the exhibition traces the rise of the Nazi party, how antisemitism as a Europe-wide phenomenon made a fertile seedbed for Hitler's anti-Jewish beliefs, the perversion of science to support Nazi race theory, the isolation of German Jews, the refugee crisis and the advent of so-called 'Euthanasia' policies in 1939.
Photographs, documents, newspapers, artefacts, posters and film offer stark evidence of persecution and slaughter, collaboration and resistance.
www.iwm.org.uk/lambeth/holoc-ex1.htm
Holocaust - Learning & Access:
www.iwm.org.uk/holocaust/education
Recollections
Recollections: Eyewitnesses Remember the Holocaust is an award-winning innovative resource produced by the Holocaust Educational Trust in conjunction with the Shoah Foundation. One part of the resource is a DVD containing visual history testimony from a range of eyewitnesses, including survivors, liberators, rescuers, and aid-givers. The other part of the resource consists of an interactive DVD-ROM, which can be networked in schools and provides pedagogical guidance and a range of activities to explore the issues raised by the eyewitnesses. Recollections is suitable for use by teachers of Citizenship, History, RS, English and Media Studies with students aged 13 and above.
The Holocaust: A Guide for Students & Teachers
Published by the Holocaust Educational Trust, this book is authored by the acclaimed historian Professor David Cesarani and provides teachers and students with a historical overview of the Holocaust and its aftermath. The book is written in an accessible and engaging way, and is intended to stimulate discussion and reflection.
The text is accompanied by authentic images, and is suitable for a range of different age and ability levels.
WW2History.com
Created by the award-winning television producer Laurence Rees, whose previous work includes the BBC television series The Nazis: A Warning from History and Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution, WW2History.com is a multimedia resource on the history of the Second World War. The site includes a section providing comprehensive information and a range of materials on the history of the Holocaust, for which the Holocaust Educational Trust has devised lesson plans and accompanying materials that teachers can use in their classrooms.
To mark the 65th anniversary of its first publication, the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) has made the entire back catalogue of its monthly Journal available on the AJR’s website at www.ajr.org.uk/pdfjournals
First published in January 1946 as AJR Information, the AJR Journal is a unique collection of literature which chronicles the story of the Jewish refugees from Nazi oppression, their traditions and customs as well as their strong cultural identity. The Journal tells their story in real time, and covers in great detail many historic post war events – from the Nuremberg Trials to the Declaration of the State of Israel, the Hungarian revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall – all from the perspective of the refugees from Nazi oppression.
In addition to historians of refugee and migration studies and people seeking information about their families, the material is a valuable archive for sociologists and psychologists examining the impact of the Jewish refugees from Europe and of refugees in general.
Today the AJR Journal combines topical news analysis with feature articles as well as book, theatre and film reviews. The Journal also contains profiles of personalities with a connection to the refugee community and promotes forthcoming AJR events and activities. Regular features include information and reports from regional group meetings, search notices for those looking for relatives or friends from the past and family announcements.
AJR Chairman, Andrew Kaufman, said: “As we celebrate our 70th anniversary this remarkable and precious archive documents the considerable contribution to Britain made by the refugees and reflects the social and cultural context of how they rebuilt their lives as well as their absorption into British society. It also includes valuable biographical information such as obituaries and search notices, all of which makes it of great interest to the public and to researchers and academics.”
AJR Consultant Editor Dr Anthony Grenville, whose recent book, Jewish Refugees from Germany and Austria in Britain: Their Image in ‘AJR Information’ draws heavily on the Journal archive, added: “The AJR Journal is a wonderfully rich source of material on the Jewish refugees from Hitler in Britain from 1946. Making it available for public access will transform the whole area of research on the community that the AJR represents and creates the legacy of the refugees’ achievements.”
For further information please contact Michael Newman:
Tel: 020 8385 3074
Fax: 020 8385 3080
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Website: www.ajr.org.uk
Notes:
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) provides comprehensive social and welfare services and grants financial assistance to victims of Nazi persecution living in Great Britain.
Directed by Dr Antony Grenville and Dr Bea Lewkowicz, the AJR has produced the groundbreaking audio-visual testimony archive, Refugee Voices. This collection of 150 filmed interviews creates a legacy of the experiences of the refugees and will advance and enhance Holocaust research for future generations. Refugee Voices enables Holocaust researchers and scholars to watch up to 450 hours of film and read fully edited and transcribed accounts. For the first time, researchers will also be assisted by time-codes that, together with a summary sheet and key words section, direct users to specific sections of the films. Details of Refugee Voices are at www.refugeevoices.co.uk
In conjunction with the Jewish Museum in London, the AJR produced the exhibition, Continental Britons - Jewish Refugees from Nazi Europe, which relates the remarkable and compelling story of the Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution in the German-speaking countries before World War II and came to Britain. The exhibition, directed by Dr Antony Grenville and Dr Bea Lewkowicz, can be seen online at http://www.ajr.org.uk/continental-britons
Through a unique survey entitled the AJR has recorded the Continental background, journey to Britain, reception and subsequent experiences and lives of some 1,500 Jewish children of the Kindertransport. Making New Lives in Britain can be seen at http://www.ajr.org.uk/kindersurvey
The AJR is part of the UK delegation to the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF), which brings together governments and nongovernmental organisations to raise awareness of the Holocaust and places political and social leaders' support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance, and research both nationally and internationally.
