Holocaust survivor and educator Manfred Goldberg dies aged 95
Honoured by the King last year, he spent decades teaching British students about the Shoah
Manfred Goldberg MBE – one of Britain’s most admired Holocaust educators and a familiar voice to thousands of school pupils – has died aged 95.
Born on 21 April 1930 in Kassel, central Germany, he grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family and experienced the escalating antisemitism that defined the Nazi rise to power. His father managed to escape to Britain in August 1939, but Manfred, his mother and younger brother were forced to remain.
In 1940, his school was shut down by the Nazi authorities. A year later, the family was deported by train to the Riga Ghetto in Latvia, where starvation, slave labour and the constant fear of mass murder shaped daily life. Amid the brutality, he marked his Bar Mitzvah in secret in March 1943 – a moment he would later describe as a defiant act of faith.
Weeks before the ghetto was liquidated, Manfred was transported to a nearby labour camp and then to Stutthof concentration camp near Danzig, today Gdańsk. He endured more than eight months of forced labour in Stutthof and its subcamps, including Stolp and Burggraben.
Just days before Germany’s surrender, prisoners were evacuated on a death march. Manfred was liberated in the town of Neustadt on 3 May 1945.
He arrived in Britain in September 1946 and was reunited with his father. After mastering English and rebuilding his lost education, he graduated from London University with a degree in electronics. He later married, raising four sons and becoming a proud grandfather.
In later life, Manfred devoted himself to testimony and education, regularly speaking in schools and travelling with the Holocaust Educational Trust to guide young people at sites of genocide. His calm, dignified storytelling made him one of the most respected witnesses of the Shoah in Britain.
His contribution was recognised in June 2024 when he was made an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to Holocaust education and remembrance. King Charles, who met Manfred earlier that year at Buckingham Palace, hailed him at the time as “very special”.
Progressive Judaism Co-Leads Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky said:“We offer our deepest condolences and heartfelt gratitude for the life and legacy of Manfred Goldberg MBE… His courage, dignity, and unwavering commitment to remembrance touched all who had the privilege to meet him.”
Rabbi Naftali Schiff, founder of the Holocaust education charity JRoots and a close friend, described Manfred as “an example extraordinaire of a friend, a mentor, a sage”, whose belief, gratitude and kindness “never wavered despite all he endured”.
Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said his passing “leaves an irreplaceable void in our hearts and in our community”, adding: “Thanks to digital eyewitness testimony, his legacy will continue to reach generations of students for many years to come… May his memory be a blessing.”
The Association of Jewish Refugees said Manfred’s life stood as a “testament to resilience, hope, and the power of memory”, noting the honour of preserving his story in its My Story collection and Refugee Voices archive. “We express profound gratitude for his lifelong commitment to remembrance and education.”
Daniel Carmel-Brown, Chief Executive of Jewish Care, said:“We are saddened by the loss of Manfred Goldberg z’l. We wish Shary and the whole family long life.
“A cherished member of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, Manfred will be deeply missed by us all. His wisdom, kindness, generosity, eloquence and gentle spirit inspired us every day. It was a profound honour to know Manfred – a privilege to sit with him and learn from him. His example will continue to guide and inspire us.”
From the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Chair Sir Sajid Javid said:
“I had the privilege of meeting Manfred Goldberg several times and was always struck by his warmth, wisdom and courage. By sharing his story, he turned pain into strength and inspired generations – from classrooms to Buckingham Palace.”
HMDT Chief Executive Olivia Marks-Woldman CBE added:
“I am heartbroken by the passing of Manfred Goldberg MBE. It was an honour to know him, and a privilege to have worked alongside him in our shared commitment to Holocaust commemoration and education. Manfred inspired everyone he met – whether in a local school or at No 10 Downing Street. In 2017, he escorted the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge around Stutthof, and in 2022 featured in Seven Portraits at The Queen’s Gallery, commissioned by our Patron, now His Majesty the King.”
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