Holocaust survivors give the community “the promise of a positive Jewish future” a leading rabbi has said.

Rabbi Naftali Schiff, the founder and CEO of Jewish Futures, was speaking after a visit to Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre in Golders Green, where he spent an afternoon with its members, raising a “L’Chaim” to them.

Rabbi Schiff described the survivors as “true heroes of our times”, saying that they “embody the enduring spirit of the Jewish people, standing as symbols of unwavering persistence, drive to survive, and the promise of a positive Jewish future”.

At the event, Rabbi Schiff talked about “the profound impact” these survivors have had on the Jewish community, “reminding the world of the shared commitment to ensuring ‘Never Again’”.

He shared with the survivors that the educational organisation Aish, which comes under the umbrella of Jewish Futures, had been the target of an antisemitic arson attack in 2006, when a Torah scroll was burnt — “a painful reminder of the challenges the Jewish community continues to confront”.

Rabbi Schiff dances with Holocaust survivors

Rabbi Schiff dances with Holocaust survivors

Holocaust survivor Ivor Perl BEM, who recently published his memoirs, Chicken Soup Under the Tree: A Journey to Hell and Back, told the group: “From someone who went through an awful lot as a Jew, I know we’re going through some hard times now.

“Eventually, we’ll come through much stronger than we have been. We came through a lot stronger after the Holocaust, and we’ll come through this.”  

Rabbi Schiff stressed the need for unity, “irrespective of differences”, adding:  “One enduring lesson of the Holocaust is the unity it has forged among Jews, regardless of religious beliefs or backgrounds.”

He said that currently, “in the face of rising antisemitism, the Jewish heart and soul beat as one. 

“We are witnessing an incredible surge of young Jews seeking their identity, embracing the forces of good, and championing messages of love, light, and enlightenment in our world.”

He said that the value of unity was “at the core of Jewish Futures, a movement that unites diverse individuals through various different pathways under the banner of a shared heritage and future”.

The visit to the centre was arranged in conjunction with JRoots.