Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

Hephzibah Rudofsky, daughter of Holocaust survivor, Lady Zahava Kohn MBE, returned to Latymer on Monday, 23 January, to speak to our Year 9 students. The talk was one of the events organised to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023.  

Hephzibah speaks extensively in schools, telling her mother’s story and sharing the incredible artefacts that her mother and grandmother kept from their time in the Bergen-Belsen camp. The talk was even more poignant this year as Zahava sadly passed away in the Summer. 

“We are very grateful to her for coming in to share this incredible audio history with us,” said Mr Emerson, Deputy Head (Academic). 

“It’s been a really interesting talk,” said Sasha in Year 9. “It’s so incredible and so inspirational to hear how the family survived. We’re so grateful to her for sharing this fascinating story.”

Latymer Upper School will be marking Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday 27 January 2023. The date marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and on this day much of the world pauses to remember all victims of the Holocaust and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.  As a school community we remember the millions of lives lost to genocide and  commit to standing against prejudice and hatred in all its forms in our world today.

Age appropriate resources have been collated for our students, drawing attention to this year’s theme, which is “Ordinary People”. As well as taking part in discussions in form time with their tutors, students will also be attending special year group assemblies to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. 

The School will be specially illuminated to mark this year’s National Ceremony of Commemoration for Holocaust Memorial Day taking place on Thursday 26 January. 

Author: Karen Dove