Auschwitz survivor Rachel Levy awarded British Empire Medal

A Holocaust survivor who lives in Jewish Care accommodation in Golders Green has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to Holocaust education.

Rachel Levy, who lives in Selig Court, survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, and received the prestigious award from Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Sir Kenneth Olisa at an investiture at the Tower of London earlier this month.

Rachel received the award as part of The Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition that she had “dedicated her life to sharing her story with people in the UK to ensure that lessons are learnt from her traumatic experiences”.

Over the past 50 years she has spoken to hundreds of students in dozens of schools about her childhood in the former Czechoslovakia

Her daughter Shelley said: “The impact she has on the students who hear her speak is profound and she stands out because of the personal relationships she builds with them. Her ability to connect and communicate with people is remarkable.”

Several years ago, the producer of Lewisham Council’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations asked Rachel to recount her testimony on film.

This has now been used as part of the national curriculum in Lewisham schools, reaching more than 20,000 participating students, who write essays, perform plays and bring ‘Rachel’s Story’ to life.