Shoah survivors praise head of team who raised £6,000 on Auschwitz bike ride

Holocaust survivors who gathered for lunch at the JW3 cultural centre last week gave a round of applause to a non-Jewish man who led 22 cyclists from Prague to Auschwitz, raising £6,000 for survivors’ events.

Daniel Landon was handed the ‘Outstanding Achievement’ Award in front of an audience that included Sir Ben Helfgott in north-west London, after cycling in honour of his relative Michael Rehfisch who was captured by the Nazis.

Over a period of four years, Rehfisch was separated from his parents, imprisoned, tortured, subjected to forced labour and starved before his miraculous escape from Blechhammer.

Holocaust survivor Peter Summerfield said: “It is an opportunity to meet fellow survivors and it is always very interesting to learn how other people were able to escape from Nazi Germany and to tell our own story”.

Survivors were joined by Tuende Huber of the Austrian Cultural Forum London, as well as Trudy Gold, head of Holocaust education at JW3.

Programme manager Michelle Hyer said she was “humbled and privileged to be in the presence of this amazing group of inspiring individuals,” adding: “I’m immensely proud of the enrichment programme we run at JW3 that provides them year-round with a fantastic range of opportunities, cultural activities, and great company.”

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