The IHMD events and temporary exhibition at Greenwich brought together students, staff, partner schools and the wider community.
Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of others persecuted under Nazi rule and in subsequent genocides because of their ethnicity, identity or beliefs. This year’s theme, “Bridging Generations,” highlighted the importance of preserving testimony and sustaining intergenerational dialogue at a time when fewer survivors remain able to share their experiences first-hand.
As the Holocaust recedes further into history, the responsibility to remember becomes ever more urgent. Without continued engagement, the space left by the passing of survivors risks being filled by denial, distortion and harmful counter-narratives. The 2026 programme responded directly to this challenge, creating spaces for education, reflection and conversation across generations.
An exhibition shaped by young voices
At the heart of this year’s commemoration was an exhibition featuring creative responses from Greenwich students and pupils from partner schools and organisations. Drawing on survivor testimonies, archival materials and intergenerational conversations within their own families and communities, participants produced artwork, poetry, animation, music and reflective writing.
The result was a powerful demonstration of empathy and historical understanding. One attendee reflected:
It was heartening to see the creative work – art, poetry and other creative writing – submitted by school children that continues the necessary process of remembrance of persecution and atrocities that we must never see again.
Testimony, scholarship and remembrance
The exhibition launch event on 27 January brought lived history into the room through Eric Schloss, who shared the survival story of his grandmother, Eva, recounting her time in hiding in Amsterdam and her imprisonment in Auschwitz. Through video testimony and personal reflection, her voice continued to resonate across generations.
Dr Ben Gidley (Birkbeck, University of London) followed with a lecture examining the persistence of antisemitism and other forms of hatred. His exploration of what he termed a “reservoir” of antisemitism within societies offered a timely framework for understanding how prejudice endures and why education remains essential in confronting it.
On 10 February, the university hosted “Hidden: Children of the Holocaust – A Musical Memorial”. It linked to the theme of "Bridging the Generations". Composed by jazz and world music artist Roland Perrin, the piece was built around oral history interviews with Jewish survivors conducted in North London, interwoven with original music performed by a five-piece ensemble. The piece was both social history and a celebration of survival.
One attendee reflected:
I found the event incredibly moving, and brilliantly conceived with voices of memory, reflection and hope combined with evocative, emotional and personal musical responses.
The International Holocaust Memorial Day takes place each year on 27 January.
Thank you to Alexander Guschanski, Rachel Wolfendale and Dr Ashley Brett for this article.
