The Holocaust Centre North is calling for people to donate personal items connected to the Jewish High Holy Days.

Photographs, small mementos, a treasured object, greeting cards, letters wishing family “a Happy New Year”, perhaps written when in-person celebrations were impossible, and even home videos, would all be welcome, said heads of the museum.

Hari Jonkers, Holocaust Centre North archivist said: “We are a living archive. We have a growing collection of materials relating to the history of the Holocaust as well as telling the stories of Holocaust refugees and survivors who made the North of England their homes.

"Without these personal belongings, many stories would be lost and or forgotten and educating the future generation about these atrocities – particularly now that fewer survivors are alive – becomes a harder and harder task. We are so grateful for any donations as we are always seeking to enrich our understanding of pre-war Jewish life in Europe, the Holocaust and the post-war lives of survivors, refugees and their families. That is why we would dearly love to gather more documents, letters, small items or photographs that represent the Jewish High Holy days.”

She added that they would “take exceptional care of every artefact we are privileged to be gifted and look forward to hearing from anybody who may be able to share their loved ones’ stories and belongings with us for education and research”.

Jonkers said that, where possible, artefacts would be digitised for preservation, “ensuring that family histories are shared and never forgotten”. 

The Holocaust Centre North, based at Huddersfield University, is the only museum of its kind in the north of England dedicated to telling the global story of the Holocaust through a northern lens.

It was founded by Jewish refugees who made their new home in the north.

If anybody has any materials they would consider donating or would like to have an initial conversation with the collections team, please contact the Holocaust Centre North via collections@hud.ac.uk, or call the centre on 01484 471939. To find out more: please click here