Survivors invited to private dinner with Sajid Javid at Number 11

A group of 12 Holocaust survivors received the rare honour of a private dinner with Chancellor Sajid Javid at Number 11 on Tuesday.

A smoked salmon starter was served, followed by beef for the main course.

Hosting the event, Javid paid tribute to survivors for continuing to share their testimonies in schools up and down the country, thanking them for their dedication to Holocaust education.

“We must never forget what happens when ignorance and hatred are left unchecked,” he said. “I’ve had the honour of meeting many of them before, and I thank them on behalf of our country for helping us ensure that history is never forgotten.”

Attending were survivors Harry Spiro, Renee Salt, Zigi Shipper, Sir Ben Helfgott, Kitty Hart Moxon, Manfred Goldberg, Hannah Lewis, Lily Ebert, Freda Wineman, Harry Olmer, Mala Tribich and Susan Pollack.

Representing the Holocaust Educational Trust were CEO Karen Pollock MBE and chair Paul Phillips, who raise awareness in schools and the public of the Holocaust and its relevance today.

A long-standing friend of Javid, Spiro was accompanied by his spouse Pauline. Born in Poland in 1992, he survived the Piotrków ghetto, Buchenwald and a death march to Terezín.

“I’m so personally grateful to the Chancellor for his enormous commitment to Holocaust education and ensuring the testimony of survivors like myself live on,” Spiro said.

“The chancellor has always shown such a keen interest in our efforts to educate as many young people as possible. With his support, we have been able to reach even more people and hopefully, eventually, we will successfully overcome this terrible hatred.”

Javid visited Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2011 and has spoken at various Holocaust Educational Trust events, including at its annual appeal dinner last year.