It started with a plea from a woman who was close to death: Margit Cohen, who came to the UK on the Kindertransport in 1938, had kept her story of escape and death secret until then.
But when she told Juliette Pearce, manager of Heathlands Village care home in Manchester, that she wanted to tell her story and have it written down in a book in her own words, she started an incredible initiative. My Voice now counts 42 Holocaust survivor life stories in its collection, with a further 16 in production.
Margit lived long enough to see her story published in 2015. After her book came out, heads of Manchester-based Jewish social care charity The Fed realised that they needed to tell the incredible story of other survivors – each of them a miracle.
My Voice has now announced that is going to expand its reach to record the stories of London-based Holocaust survivors, as well as launching new initiatives in museums and schools to make sure the stories will never be forgotten.
London Launch at JW3 of My Voice
“When we started this project, we couldn’t have imagined that these life story books would be such an important educational resource,” said Juliette at the London launch of the project at JW3. “And yet, we are told time and time again by teachers that they are indeed a valuable educational resource. They have brought history to life with intimate portrayals of individual stories and have challenged misconceptions, prejudice and stereotyping.
“In the void created by the loss of six million Jewish lives during the Holocaust, we need to ensure that these voices continue to be heard; every story we capture is a victory over the silence.”
The My Voice project ensures that each survivor tells their story to a volunteer, who records it, so the book is written in the survivor’s own words.
They beautiful hardback books also contain photographs and don’t just record the horror but also life both before and after the Holocaust. The project has already been endorsed by Yad Vashem and has received funding from the National Lottery.
Bernie Yaffe, chairman of The Fed, at the London launch of My Voice
The launch was attended by the first three of the London survivors to have their stories told: Ivor Wieder, Harry Olmer and Jackie Young.
An excerpt from Ivor’s book, Where Was G-d In Auschwitz?, was read by Alex Pfeffer, who wrote his book with him. Born in Romania, Ivor was just 12 years old when he was taken to Auschwitz but managed to escape the gas chambers that his mother and younger sister were sent to on arrival. His father survived for a short time, but he too was killed when he chopped his fingers off in a work accident and the Nazis decided that he was no longer of any use to them.
“Some people say: ‘Why don’t you forget about it?’ But how can you forget about it? Day and night, I can’t forget about it. I think about it more now than I did before. Even today, there are Holocaust deniers, people who don’t believe; they say its all propaganda. But I know what happened. I was there. And I want to say to the younger generation that it is your duty to pass on the memory of the Shoah."
Holocaust survivor Ivor Wieder with his book from the My Voice project at its London launch
Harry Olmer, who came to England as a “Windermere boy” – one of 300 young Holocaust survivors who were given refuge in the Lake District - also had a section of his book, My Revenge On Hitler Is My Family, read. Describing how he was sent to work in a factory which created picric acid, he retold how inside the workroom everything – including the people – was yellow. The Jewish slaves had to work beside a box which had an ever-growing number of dead bodies in it; the stench of decomposing bodies is something he can still recall. But even then, he didn’t give up. “I never ever thought of dying,” he recalled. “I was too young to die.”
Holocaust survivor Harry Olmer with his book at the My Voice London launch
The final story shared at the launch was that of Jackie Young, who became a London cabbie. Born in Vienna in 1941, he spent the first few years of his life in Theresienstadt concentration camp before being brought to England after liberation.
His book, Lost And Waiting To Be Found, tells of being adopted by a Jewish family but spending the rest of his life trying to find out who his birth parents were. Thanks to the use of DNA, he was finally able to connect with family members although both his parents, who were not married, were killed in the Holocaust.
Holocaust survivor Jackie Young with his book at the My Voice London launch
“Hopefully, people will read these books and learn from them not to go down this terrible path of war,” he said. “We need to have more understanding and more empathy for each other.”
Raphi Bloom, The Fed’s fundraising and marketing director said: “All of us here, since October 7th, appreciate more than ever just how crucial Holocaust education is.
"It is our desire that My Voice plays a significant part in this and works in close collaboration and partnership with other organisations, so we ensure that these incredible stories do not just sit on bookshelves and coffee tables and gather dust but are used to strengthen education and awareness across the country.
"That commitment is the solemn promise we made to each of the My Voice Survivor Storytellers and is also our duty to the Jewish community and society as a whole.”
To buy a book, click here. To find out more about the My Voice collection or to tell your story, email: info@myvoice.org.uk
