Over the last four years I have attended various events with the Holocaust Educational Trust including study visits to Israel and Budapest. I have also worked with my and other university societies on several Holocaust Memorial Day events and personal projects. I have taken as many opportunities as I could and I hope my Ambassador journey can inspire you in yours.
I attended the Lessons from Auschwitz Project from the London South region.
2015
After returning from the visit, I completed my next steps and became an active Ambassador attending events like the Ambassador Conference. I knew I wanted to further my knowledge so enquired about becoming a Regional Ambassador.
2016
Tour of Jerusalem
I became a Regional Ambassador for the Trust and I went on a study visit to the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem. The workshops were fascinating and the memorials brought tears to my eyes.
Entrance to the Children's Memorial at Yad Vashem
On the visit I started planning what would become my longest project as a Regional Ambassador, a documentary of the Jewish community of Haarlem, the Netherlands.
My grandfather and his family were Jewish and fled to England on the last boat in May 1940. On the visit I researched names of Dutch Jews on the Yad Vashem database; for pages of testimony and links to my family.
2017
The society stall at freshers
When I returned from the study visit. I set up a Holocaust Education and Remembrance Society at my university and worked with the Jewish society to bring a Holocaust survivor to Kent in January. We also arranged a week of events for Holocaust Memorial Day 2018.
I was also part of a special Holocaust Memorial Day episode of the Antiques Roadshow, filmed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
In the background of Antiques Roadshow
2018
I went on the Trust’s first study visit to Budapest. The visit was full of many moving moments, like standing next to the ‘Shoes on the Danube’ memorial. This commemorates the people who were shot by the Hungarian right-wing group the Arrow Cross. The physical absence created by the shoes was powerful; reflecting the brutal loss of human life during that period.
The 'Shoes on the Danube' memorial
In October I submitted a project proposal to the Pitch For Hope campaign, an anti-racism initiative organised by Chelsea F.C. and the World Jewish Congress. I reached the final and, despite coming second, was awarded a budget for my project.
Presenting my project proposal at the final
2019
Our March of the Living group just before the march
In April 2019 I joined four other Regional Ambassadors on March of the Living, a programme that brings thousands of people from around the world to Poland, the programme is five days long and culminates in all participants marching from Auschwitz I to Birkenau. I was also fortunate to attend another trip with them to Poland with survivor Arek Hersch in November 2019.
Me with survivor Arek Hersch
In October, I continued with my Haarlem project, travelled to Haarlem and Amsterdam and visited a Holocaust survivor from Haarlem.
Outside my great-great-grandmother's old house in Amsterdam (she perished in Auschwitz)
The Holocaust memorial in Haarlem
2015
After returning from the visit, I completed my next steps and became an active Ambassador attending events like the Ambassador Conference. I knew I wanted to further my knowledge so enquired about becoming a Regional Ambassador.
2017
The society stall at freshers
When I returned from the study visit. I set up a Holocaust Education and Remembrance Society at my university and worked with the Jewish society to bring a Holocaust survivor to Kent in January. We also arranged a week of events for Holocaust Memorial Day 2018.
I was also part of a special Holocaust Memorial Day episode of the Antiques Roadshow, filmed at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
In the background of Antiques Roadshow
2019
Our March of the Living group just before the march
In April 2019 I joined four other Regional Ambassadors on March of the Living, a programme that brings thousands of people from around the world to Poland, the programme is five days long and culminates in all participants marching from Auschwitz I to Birkenau. I was also fortunate to attend another trip with them to Poland with survivor Arek Hersch in November 2019.
Me with survivor Arek Hersch
In October, I continued with my Haarlem project, travelled to Haarlem and Amsterdam and visited a Holocaust survivor from Haarlem.
Outside my great-great-grandmother's old house in Amsterdam (she perished in Auschwitz)
The Holocaust memorial in Haarlem
2016
Tour of Jerusalem
I became a Regional Ambassador for the Trust and I went on a study visit to the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem. The workshops were fascinating and the memorials brought tears to my eyes.
Entrance to the Children's Memorial at Yad Vashem
On the visit I started planning what would become my longest project as a Regional Ambassador, a documentary of the Jewish community of Haarlem, the Netherlands.
My grandfather and his family were Jewish and fled to England on the last boat in May 1940. On the visit I researched names of Dutch Jews on the Yad Vashem database; for pages of testimony and links to my family.
2018
I went on the Trust’s first study visit to Budapest. The visit was full of many moving moments, like standing next to the ‘Shoes on the Danube’ memorial. This commemorates the people who were shot by the Hungarian right-wing group the Arrow Cross. The physical absence created by the shoes was powerful; reflecting the brutal loss of human life during that period.
The 'Shoes on the Danube' memorial
In October I submitted a project proposal to the Pitch For Hope campaign, an anti-racism initiative organised by Chelsea F.C. and the World Jewish Congress. I reached the final and, despite coming second, was awarded a budget for my project.
Presenting my project proposal at the final
2020
This last year has been challenging for all of us. But it was great to see so many Ambassadors at #AmConAtHome, even if it was seeing everyone over Zoom! We as Ambassadors have adapted really well to these unique circumstances!
During the lockdowns I worked with Michael Woodland and the Ambassador Programme Team on this, the new blog and newsletter, we are so excited to share this with you and can’t wait for you to get involved!
