‘Outstanding young people committed to changing the world’: Chief Rabbi at Holocaust Educational Trust’s ambassador conference
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

‘Outstanding young people committed to changing the world’: Chief Rabbi at Holocaust Educational Trust’s ambassador conference

Shoah survivors Manfred Goldberg, Eve Kugler and Harry Olmer join hundreds of young students determined to fight antisemitism

Chief Rabbi, Holocaust survivor Harry Olmer MBE and HET Ambassador.
Chief Rabbi, Holocaust survivor Harry Olmer MBE and HET Ambassador.

On Tuesday 2nd July hundreds of young people from across the UK gathered in London for the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Ambassador Conference, the first to take place following the October 7th terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel.

Participants included Holocaust survivors Manfred Goldberg and Harry Olmer, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, head of Ambassador Programme Lord John Browne, leading academics and an expert panel on antisemitism.

Attendees, some of whom are currently struggling with the difficult atmospheres at their universities, schools and online were able to ask the panel questions on how best to grapple with the challenges when speaking about the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

They also heard from Holocaust Survivor Eve Kugler, chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust Danny Stone, President of Leeds Jewish Society Emma Levy, Director of Labour Against Antisemitism Alex Hearn, journalist Nicole Lampert and academics and experts from across the sector.

Ambassadors listening to Holocaust survivor Eve Kugler BEM

Having visited the former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau as part of the Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project, the charity’s young Ambassadors were able to test out Testimony 360, the charity’s new cutting-edge digital education programme which combines digital eyewitness testimony with virtual reality.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis said: “It is a privilege to be in a room with so many outstanding young people who have committed their lives to changing the world for the better. You have dedicated your time and volunteered your talents to invest everything you’ve got into broadening your understanding so that you can become educated the Holocaust, a crucially important topic.”

Lord Browne of Madingley, head of the Ambassador Programme said: “I see the impact of our Ambassadors everywhere, from arranging survivor testimony in their schools, to attending the educational days put on by Trust and volunteering in their communities. We are very grateful for all they do.”

Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg with wife Shary Goldberg and HET Ambassador

Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) chief executive Karen Pollock said: “It was incredible to see hundreds of passionate and committed young Ambassadors at this year’s Ambassador Conference. As the Holocaust slowly moves out of living memory, their role becomes ever more vital – to ensure the legacy of the survivors for generations to come.

“With antisemitism reaching unimaginable levels, it is comforting to be in a room with so many young people, all determined to play their part in fighting this anti-Jewish racism. We are grateful for their dedication, eagerness to learn, and their passion for our cause”.

  • To learn more about the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust, click here. 
Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: