The number of witnesses to the Holocaust is diminishing – we must keep their memories alive
4 min read
A chance encounter with a Holocaust survivor at a Jewish summer camp in the 1980s made a deep impression on me.
Tzvi, the elderly caretaker, overheard one of the education sessions about the Holocaust. He pulled me aside later and said, “I heard what you were discussing. I wanted to show you this.” With that, he rolled up his sleeve, exposing a tattoo that had been forced on him by the Nazis when he was imprisoned at Auschwitz. Still in my teens, I felt deeply honoured that he would share this symbol of his horrific past with me. Tzvi sought no attention and avoided questions from the larger group; he simply wanted a new generation to understand the reality of the Holocaust.
That brief encounter affected me more deeply than any lecture, book or film. Nearly four decades later, it remains vivid in my memory. I have been chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust since 2012, promoting Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) as the UK’s national day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It also commemorates the non-Jewish victims of Nazi persecution, and all those who lost their lives in the more recent genocides.
Over the past couple of decades, survivors and refugees from Nazism have narrated in detail their suffering under Nazi persecution, speaking in schools, universities, workplaces, and community forums to ensure that the darkness of the Holocaust is never forgotten. Powerful first-hand accounts from remarkable individuals like Sir Ben Helfgott, Ivor Perl BEM, Ziggy Shipper BEM, Lily Ebert MBE, Hannah Lewis MBE and Mala Tribich MBE, to name a few, have provided a depth of understanding about the Holocaust that history books alone cannot capture.
I am in awe of their willingness to relive trauma for the sake of future generations
No matter how many times survivors share their experiences, it never gets easier. Their voices often tremble with emotion, and their eyes reflect the pain of memories that are still haunting. I am in awe of their willingness to relive trauma for the sake of future generations. It is their way of ensuring we never forget the horrors that are often called into question by antisemitic revisionists. This is why survivor testimonies remain central to HMD commemorations, enabling us to connect with them on a personal level and feel their pain. These testimonies serve as a crucial defence against the denial and distortion of history.
Eighty years after the Holocaust, with each passing year, the number of these precious witnesses to history diminishes. The youngest, those who were children during the war, are now in their 80s and 90s. Within the next decade, the world will witness the loss of nearly all those who personally endured Nazi brutality. Without their voices, the responsibility to keep their message alive falls on us. We must become the guardians of their legacies; the gravity of this responsibility cannot be overstated.
Without living witnesses to provide personal testimonies, the full weight of the Holocaust’s impact, the depth of suffering, and the importance of fighting genocide might be less appreciated. Their absence could lead to a society less vigilant against the threats of prejudice and discrimination in its most extreme form. Without them, there is a risk of historical amnesia, where the horrors of the Holocaust become less understood. Let us commit anew to learning from the Holocaust for a better future. Let us become the generation that remembers and acts for a better future.
Today, we witness disturbing echoes of the past in the rise of hateful rhetoric, the scapegoating of minorities, and the emboldening of far-right groups exploiting these tensions to sow division. We cannot let them succeed. The relevance of HMD lies not just in remembering past horrors, but also in equipping us to confront these issues in our time. While the voices of survivors are fading, their message must endure.
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