The prime minister said he was moved to hear the story of Bergen Belsen survivor Gena and Norman Turgel, told to him through their daughter Bernice Kennet and grandson Josh Kennet.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer he hosts survivors and relatives of survivors to a reception in 10 Downing StreetSimon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Norman Turgel was one of the British soldiers who liberated Bergen-Belsen. He and Gena married a year and a half later, and Gena’s wedding dress was made from a British Army parachute. Starmer was shown photographs of their wedding by Bernice and Josh.
In 1987, Gena Turgel published her memoir I light a candle and continued her work in Holocaust education and sharing her story with school children well into her 90s. She passed away in June 2018, at the age of 95.
“To go from a point in their lives where the future was so bleak, to one after the camps were liberated, where they are able to spend their lives together, is truly remarkable,” Starmer said.
Renee Salt told the JC she found the prime minister “very interesting” and the 95-year-old handed him a copy of her soon to be published memoir.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer speak with Renee Salt, a Holocaust survivor Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Other survivors present at the event included Arek Hersh MBE and his daughter Michelle Tamam, Michelle Richman daughter of the late Zigi Shipman, Mala Tribich MBE and her son Jeffrey, Belsen liberator Mervyn Kersh and his daughter Lynne, Harry Olmer MBE and his daughter Julia Kaye, Vera Schaufeld MBE and her daughter Judith Diamond, Lord Alf Dubs and the son and wife of the late Sir Ben Helfgott, Lady Arza and Maurice.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer speak with Mervyn Kersh, an army veteran who was stationed near Bergen-BelsenSimon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
After the event, the prime minister said it was “an incredible privilege to meet with extraordinary Holocaust survivors and the families of survivors in Downing Street as we mark this Holocaust Memorial Day.”
He added: “After surviving the most appalling and incomprehensible suffering at the hands of the Nazis, they have gone on to make the world a better place by dedicating their lives to Holocaust education. I pay tribute to their sheer and remarkable courage in sharing their stories, imparting memories of the worst moments of humanity – seeing family members, friends, neighbours murdered in the cruellest ways imaginable – to ensure we never forget.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts survivors and relatives of survivorsSimon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Starmer continued: “It was an honour to hear their testimonies and to learn of their experiences escaping these horrors as young children. We spoke of Sir Nicholas Winton’s lifesaving Kindertransport programme. I was honoured to meet with two of those who built a new life after the war in Windermere. Hearing these stories makes me both proud to be British and ever more determined to ensure our country protects and preserves their legacy.
“I visited Auschwitz last week, the concentration camp that serves to many as a symbol of the darkest days in our history. What I witnessed, both what was left behind by the innocents cruelly murdered at the hands of the Nazis, and the evidence of the absolute depravity of those who committed these horrific acts, are a stark reminder of why we must safeguard the legacy of the Holocaust survivors and why we must do everything in our power to ensure history will never be repeated”, he went on to say.
He also signed the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET)’s Book of Committment and promised to “fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms”.
Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the HET, who introduced the prime minister and his wife to individual survivors, told the JC that it was “extremely powerful to see the Prime Minister talking to survivors of the Holocaust, including those who survived Auschwitz”.
“80 years on, the survivors here today would never have dreamed they would be talking to the Prime Minister of Great Britain over a cup of tea at 10 Downing Street. Their resilience and determination is extraordinary”, she said, adding: “ The prime minister’s warmth and compassion for these precious eyewitnesses was deeply moving and we welcome the strength of his commitment to our cause.”
Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, told the JC: “It was hugely meaningful to join the Prime Minister and Lady Starmer as they welcomed Holocaust survivors, kindertranportees and members of the second generation to No 10 Downing Street, ahead of the national commemoration on Monday.”
She added: “The prime minister is providing much valued leadership to the collective endeavour to come together, reflect on the past and pledge to create a better future".
