OPINION: A Debt We Can Never Fully Repay – Thirty Years of Beth Shalom
Stephen Smith, co-founder of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre in Nottinghamshire, reflects on 30 years since the opening of the institution
This weekend, the National Holocaust Museum—Beth Shalom, the House of Peace—marked thirty years since opening its doors in the Nottinghamshire countryside in 1995. The celebration was not merely about the bricks and mortar, but the extraordinary service of the survivors of the Holocaust who have made this institution what it is today.
Holocaust survivors were integral to the creation of the Museum long before we welcomed our first visitors. They contributed artifacts that told stories words could not capture. They shared photographs that preserved faces and moments the Nazis sought to erase. They gave testimony that transformed historical fact into lived experience. They were mentors and friends to me and my family as we worked to create something that would ensure their stories would never be forgotten.
We owe them a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay.
Every day since the museum opened, survivors have made the journey to rural Nottinghamshire from London, Leicester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester. They have stood before tens of thousands of schoolchildren each year and shared the most painful chapters of their lives. I have watched this sacred exchange countless times—young eyes riveted, souls connecting across generations to the most horrific chapter in human history. The silence in those rooms is profound. The impact, immeasurable.
These survivors do not come simply to recount the past. Their goal is far more vital: to equip the next generation with the tools to navigate a challenging and often painful world. They teach young people to recognize the warning signs of hatred, to stand against injustice, and to understand that indifference can be as dangerous as any form of violence.
On Sunday, fourteen members of our current survivor volunteer team gathered at the museum. My brother and I, alongside CEO Marc Cave and outgoing Chairman Henry Grunwald, were honoured to thank them for their service. Among those addressing them was Nicola Strouther, now our head of education. Twenty years ago, she was one of those young people who heard their story. Today, she has dedicated her life to educating the next generation—living proof of the profound impact these survivors have had.
But our debt goes beyond their hard work and service. These remarkable individuals have chosen to transform their own unimaginable pain into a shield for society. They have become, in effect, an iron dome protecting us from the forces of hatred that bombard us. When they speak of their experiences, they inoculate young minds against the virus of antisemitism and all forms of prejudice.
It may seem dark now—and indeed it is—but it would be far worse without their decades of service to humanity. For this, we thank them deeply and humbly.
Now in their nineties, the time when these humble warriors can continue to bear witness in person is drawing to a natural close. Soon, the last generation with living memory of the Holocaust will be gone.
The rest is down to us.
It is our duty to ensure that their testimonies continue to resonate in perpetuity through education programs, and institutions like the National Holocaust Museum. We must train the next generation of educators and witnesses—the Nicola Strouthers of the world—to carry this torch forward. We must combat the alarming rise in Holocaust denial and distortion with facts, education, and unwavering commitment.
The survivors have given us a gift of which we must prove ourselves worthy stewards. Now more than ever, we must ensure we never let them down.
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