Travelling exhibition shares voices of four Holocaust survivors

A travelling exhibition has launched, featuring the stories of four Holocaust survivors. 

The testimonies of the late Ike Alterman, Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, Helen Stein and Hans Rose are part of the ‘My Voice’ book project, telling the survivor’s story in their own words, compiled through in-depth interviews family photos and historic documents.

Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, the exhibition, run by The Fed – the leading social care charity for the Greater Manchester’s Jewish community – will be a fixture at Manchester’s Central Library for six weeks, before moving across the city’s boroughs.

Another identical exhibition will travel across the county of Lancashire to libraries run by Lancashire County Council.

As part of the project, the Fed is working in partnership with Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and Bury Council to also launch a new, innovative free PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic education) educational initiative, focused on sharing the stories and legacy of Jewish Mancunians. This resource has been developed in response to the Heaton Park terrorist attack.

Sanctuary Through Story: Inspiring Unity After Hate will tell the stories of the individuals who survived the Holocaust, turning what was one of the darkest periods in human history into a lesson, shared across generations, faiths and communities.

All of the educational institutions participating in the project will receive a full age-tailored resource pack and electronic My Voice life-story books.

Organisers hope the testimonies will teach new generations about the history and impact of antisemitism and prejudice, diversity, mutual respect, moral choices and rejecting hate.

Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “I am proud the values of tolerance and acceptance run deep amongst Mancunians, and that no matter what a person’s race, ethnicity, religion or background they are welcome in our city.

“It did however show that the lessons of the past cannot be forgotten which is why we are proud to support the launch of this new initiative, sharing the messages of the Holocaust with the next generation and ensuring that the people who survived its horrors are not forgotten.”

Raphi Bloom, director, The Fed’s My Voice Project, said: “After the attack on Heaton Park Synagogue, our classrooms must be places where respect is learned and lived. This project takes the lived experiences of Manchester’s Holocaust survivor storytellers and turns them into practical lessons in empathy, critical thinking and moral courage.”

Describing the exhibition as “an investment in safer, kinder neighbourhoods”, he adds that for the survivors, “it honours their messages that ‘hate is a disease’ begins with young people who refuse prejudice in any form. By offering this resource free to schools and supporting teachers to use it well, The Fed’s My Voice Project is helping pupils recognise difference as a strength and step up as allies for one another.”

Ike Alterman died on 5 December 2025.

Since its creation in 2016, the project has published 52 life stories.

• Schools who wish to access the resource should click here