AJR Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration brings four generations together

The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) hosted its annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration in north west London on Tuesday with 150 guests, moving testimony, intergenerational dialogue and remembrance.

The service at Belsize Square Synagogue brought together Jewish victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants — from the first to the fourth generation —highlighting the profound responsibility felt by the community to keep the legacy of their family history alive.

Amongst the dignitaries in attendance were Austrian ambassador Bernhard Wrabetz, diplomats from the Swiss, Danish, Austrian, German, and Israeli embassies, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and local government.

The programme included a moving ceremony led by Holocaust survivors Mala Tribich, Ivor Perl, Jackie Young and Joanna Millan, who lit candles alongside descendants representing four generations.

AJR chief executive Michael Newman said the event stood as a reminder “that remembrance is not static — it is something that must be actively renewed, shared and passed on. Through eyewitness testimony and our growing community of descendants, AJR continues to ensure that Holocaust memory is never reduced to the past — but remains a living lesson for the future.”

Joanna Millan, child survivor and one of the Windermere Children, shared her experience of surviving Theresienstadt and rebuilding her life in Britain, adding that it was her “fervent wish that by sharing my story with young people, I am helping to bridge generations — so that the Holocaust is remembered not as history alone, but as a warning for the future.”

The service, led by Rabbi Gabriel Botnick and Cantor Dr Paul Heller, comes as AJR marks 80 years of The AJR Journal, chronicling the lives and experiences of Jewish refugees.