Image: Storytellers see their paperback books for the first time at the My Voice Kristallnacht event at John Rylands Institute and Library
My Voice – a stand-alone project of The Fed, the largest Jewish social care provider in the north of England, has received initial support for a grant of £705,672 over 18 months from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The development funding will help My Voice progress its plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £1,167,982 over a further two and a half years at a later date.
As the community approaches a post Survivor era, the project aims to safeguard, expand and share a nationally significant collection of life stories, with those remaining voices recorded, preserved and interpreted, while transforming access to the Collection and new material through films, exhibitions, digital platforms and national engagement.
Central to the project is the creation of bespoke educational resources, designed to embed these stories within schools and communities, enabling people to engage directly with authentic testimony, deepening understanding of the Holocaust and its relevance today.
Mala Tribich
Helen Featherstone, director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “Building on the Heritage Fund’s previous support to My Voice, this new project will expand on the extensive collection of stories that The Fed has collated. Both projects ensure that many more people will learn about this atrocious and significant moment in our history from those with first hand lived experience.
The Fed’s My Voice Project director Raphi Bloom said the Fund “has been a vital partner in helping us preserve and share some of the most important stories in modern British history. As we approach a post Survivor era, this continued support will enable My Voice to continue playing unique role in Holocaust education and remembrance.”
The development over a decade of My Voice has, he added, “created a nationally significant Collection that combines immense historical value with profound human impact. These testimonies have already reached thousands of students, educators and community members, helping people not only to learn about the Holocaust, but to connect personally with those who lived through it.”
The funding will “enable us to record and publish as many remaining untold stories as possible, while creating innovative educational resources, exhibitions and engagement opportunities that bring these voices to new audiences.
“At a time when first-hand witness testimony is becoming increasingly rare, it will help ensure that these remarkable stories continue to educate, challenge and inspire future generations, while safeguarding a unique and irreplaceable part of Britain’s heritage.”
To date, My Voice has published more than 55 real life story books, with another 10 still in production. Writers include Leo Stein, Mala Tribich, Eve Kugler, Kurt Marx, Jacques Weisser and Ike Alterman.
