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Home to the UK’s largest community of descendants, we warmly welcome all with a connection to, or interest in, this history: descendants, researchers, and those committed to remembrance, justice and education
Join Us TodayDrawing on powerful material from AJR Refugee Voices and AJR My Story, the below exhibition highlights personal testimonies, photographs and documents from Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution and rebuilt their lives in Britain. The exhibition theme will change throughout the year, offering fresh perspectives from our unique testimony archive.
This collection illuminates the experiences of children rescued by the Kindertransport. The Kindertransport was a rescue effort between 1938 and 1939 that brought around 10,000 mostly Jewish children from Nazi-controlled territories to safety in Britain after the rise of Nazi persecution.
27
Members over 100 years of age
+300
Holocaust testimony videos
4
Visits from the King to the AJR
“It was so interesting and incredibly useful listening to Holocaust educators from around the world sharing ideas, challenges, and new ways to reach the next generation in what is now a very different time and world. The insights and conversations have reinforced just how vital it is that we continue to adapt, learn, and find new ways to ensure the lessons of the past remain alive and relevant.”
“Thank you for visiting us yesterday. We thought the meeting went brilliantly. We are so lucky to have a social worker as gentle, understanding and caring as you. We really appreciate all the support and advice you give us.”
“Thank you so much for putting on such an amazing event. I’ve found documents about my grandparents that I hadn’t seen before, including my dad’s name on a Kindertransport list. I can’t tell you how much it means to me and my family and thank everyone at the AJR for all you do.”
“My client arrived on the Kindertransport as a small child. Her husband passed away many years ago, and she does not have children. I visit her each week and we talk about current affairs over coffee and cake, and quite often we go out for lunch together. She recently told me that she had forgotten that I was her volunteer and referred to me as her friend! That’s why I love being a volunteer for the AJR.”
1,857
AJR Members of whom +600 are 1st generation, of which 30 are over 100 years old
+£8m
Directly allocated to members for homecare and other support services
69,599
Minutes of face-to-face volunteer support in the last 12 months
Exclusive Online Talk for AJR Members
Exclusive Online Talk for AJR Members
Exclusive Online Talk for AJR Members
6 October 2026
By Michelle Rosenberg – Jewish News Kindertransport refugee,
6 October 2026
By Robyn Bennett – Barnet Times A Kindertransport
6 October 2026
Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) Tribute to Rev.
Today, we remember the victims of the 7 October attacks and all those whose lives were forever changed.
We hold in our thoughts the families who lost loved ones, those who survived, and all those who continue to live with the trauma of that day.
May the memory of those who were murdered be a blessing.
On October 7, 1944, members of the Sonderkommando at Auschwitz-Birkenau staged an armed uprising against Nazi forces.
Working inside the gas chambers and crematoria, the Sonderkommando witnessed the heart of the extermination operation daily and knew their unit was slated for liquidation. Over months, female prisoners working at a local munitions factory smuggled small quantities of gunpowder to aid the plan.
During the revolt, members set fire to and destroyed Crematorium IV, rendering it inoperable, and killed several camp staff. The Nazi response was ruthless, resulting in the murder of over 450 prisoners.
This historic act highlights the extreme danger and immense tragedy associated with resistance inside the death camps.
Myth busting: Kindertransport
‘The Kindertransports only came to Britain.’
The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) mourns the passing of our much-loved member Rev. Bernd Koschland MBE, a Kindertransport refugee, minister, teacher and dedicated Holocaust educator.
Born in Fürth, Germany, in 1931, Bernd witnessed the violence of Kristallnacht as a seven-year-old, when his father was arrested and taken to Dachau. In March 1939, aged eight, he was sent alone to Britain on the Kindertransport. His sister Ruth later also escaped, but their parents were unable to leave Germany and did not survive the Holocaust.
Bernd went on to devote much of his life to Jewish education and teaching. He was a longstanding member of the AJR and became closely involved with its Kindertransport group, serving on its committee - helping preserve the experiences of his generation. In retirement, he shared his testimony with countless schoolchildren and was appointed MBE in 2018 for services to Holocaust education.
In 2019, the AJR was privileged to record Bernd’s remarkable testimony as part of its My Story life-story project preserving his memories in his own words for future generations.
AJR CEO Michael Newman OBE said: “Bernd was a treasured member of the AJR community and a passionate educator who understood the importance of passing memory from one generation to the next. He gave so generously of his time and his testimony, always with warmth, humour and humanity. We are immensely grateful for everything he contributed to the AJR and to Holocaust education, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family. May his memory be for a blessing.”
Retracing steps of survival and hope.
Mandy Seal shares her father Herbert’s journey, from fleeing Berlin in August 1939 to finding refuge at Kitchener Camp in Sandwich, Kent. Treading the same cobbled streets he once walked brings his story full circle.
The AJR is deeply saddened by the death of Dame Esther Rantzen.
Dame Esther holds a special place in the hearts of many AJR members. Through That’s Life!, she brought Sir Nicholas Winton together with the children he rescued from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia and, in doing so, helped bring their extraordinary story to the attention of the world.
The AJR was honoured to bring together members who had journeyed to safety on Winton’s transports - Lord Alf Dubs, Hana Eardley, Alexandra Greensted, Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, Vera Schaufeld, Renate Collins, Emanuela Norton and Lia Lesser, alongside Rev. John Fieldsend - to thank Dame Esther for taking their story “to a global audience”.
Their final words to her feel especially poignant today: “Having stood up to thank him, we are now standing up to honour you.”
Today, the AJR stands with them in honouring Dame Esther and the remarkable role she played in ensuring their story would never be forgotten. May her memory be a blessing.
From a seat swap to finding family!
When Gaby and Rachel both attended an AJR event, they had no idea a simple request for war-time family photos would uncover a deep connection.
From a slight spelling difference (Vegh vs. Wegh) to tracing their roots back to the exact same town in Nyzhnya Apsha, they discovered they are actually second cousins!
Babi Yar Massacre, 1941
Between 29 and 30 September 1941, Nazi forces murdered approximately 33,771 Jewish civilians at the Babi Yar ravine near Kyiv. Following the German capture of the city, Nazi forces falsely blamed the Jewish population for Soviet sabotage attacks and ordered them to gather under the pretext of resettlement.
When victims arrived, they were forced to hand over their belongings, strip, and were marched in groups to the edge of the ravine, where they were shot. At the time, this massacre constituted the largest single mass shooting of Jews during the Holocaust.
In the two years that followed, Babi Yar was used as a systematic killing site for Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, psychiatric patients, and political dissidents. Historians estimate that around 100,000 people were killed at the site between 1941 and 1943.
We honour and remember all the victims murdered at Babi Yar.
The AJR is home to the UK’s largest community of Holocaust refugees and their descendants, welcoming anyone with a connection to – or interest in – this history, from researchers to those committed to remembrance and education.
By supporting the AJR, you help preserve the legacy of Holocaust refugees and survivors and ensure future generations learn from their stories. Through funding Holocaust education, combating antisemitism, and supporting our research, AJR plays a vital role in keeping this history alive.
