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return to headline pageWe Remember
The Child Survivors Association, a Special Interest Group of the AJR, launched 'WE REMEMBER' on 12 February at an event at the Wiener Library.
Many of the contributors to the book are active in Holocaust education and the event was attended by representatives of many organisations involved in Holocaust studies including the London Jewish Cultural Centre, the Jewish Museum in London, Holocaust Centre in Laxton, The Holocaust Education Trust and The Wiener Library.
Chair of the CSAGB-AJR, Joanna Millan introduced the event, giving the background journey of this publication: from personal memorials to lost families, originally intended solely for the families of the Child Survivors to a commercial publication containing the experiences of thirty child survivors of the Holocaust.
Award winning journalist, Tanya Gold gave a moving tribute to the importance of keeping these memories alive and Toby Simpson, Learning and Engagement Manager of the Wiener Library, spoke of the wealth of historical documentation as well as personal material donated by survivors held by the Library and the importance of its accessibility.
The book has attracted much media interest with two of the contributors, Henri Obstfeld and Lily Pohlmann, speaking about their experiences on This Morning on ITV1. The Ham and High newspaper is doing a feature on another of our members, Betty Bloom.
About We Remember
What originated as a Yiskor book of remembrance, We Remember is an anthology of memoirs with each chapter written by a different child survivor in their own words, providing an insight into one family's experience during this terrible period in recent history.
Coming from different nationalities, differing cultural, educational and social backgrounds, and families who practised a variety of religious observances including those who barely identified themselves as Jews, their voices are all individual. Some survived in hiding, some on the run and even under Russian 'liberation'; others survived concentration camps. Together these memoirs cover the whole of the Holocaust experience.
The Author and Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore writes: “These remarkable, heartbreaking stories of children in the Holocaust are an important historical record of the tragedy of the Holocaust, a tribute to their humanity and will to survive, a memorial to lost families and vanished Jewish communities – and a fascinating read. I recommend this book strongly.”
Copies are available to buy through the CSAGB-AJR as well as normal retail outlets. The order form can be downloaded here.
Reports about the launch event will be in the AJR Journal and the CSA-AJR Newsletter. Photos of the event are here.