Tuesday 27 January is Holocaust Memorial Day, and our school community has come together through a range of events to remember those who suffered and to learn from the past.
As part of our programme, students across the school had the opportunity to hear from two highly respected speakers who shared powerful personal family testimonies. Marta Josephs, an accredited speaker for the Holocaust Education Trust, spoke to students in Years 11 to 13 about her father’s experiences as a Hungarian Holocaust survivor of both the Mauthausen and Gunskirchen camps. Her talk was delivered with great sensitivity, encouraging students to consider not only the historical realities of the Holocaust, but also themes of humanity, moral courage, and the importance of remembrance.
Marta Josephs shares her father’s story during Senior Societies
Younger students in Years 7 to 9 heard from Hephzibah Rudofsky, ONL, the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, who has dedicated over twenty years to Holocaust education. As the custodian of an extensive family archive of artefacts, letters, photographs, and documents preserved through her relatives’ time in Westerbork, Bergen-Belsen, and Biberach camps, she brought an additional personal and tangible dimension to her presentation. Her work has been widely recognised, including appearances on BBC Radio 4 and awards for her contributions to Holocaust education.
Hephzibah Rudofsky speaks to students in Year 7-9
In addition to these talks, the whole school came together for a Holocaust Memorial Day Assembly, led by this year’s Jewish Society Committee in Years 12 and 13. The assembly was a powerful moment of reflection, giving students the opportunity to pause and remember the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust. Committee members shared personal stories from their own families, helping to make the history feel immediate and deeply human. In keeping with this year’s theme of Bridging Generations, the assembly highlighted how remembrance is carried forward through family experiences and lived memory, and it encouraged students to consider the responsibility of younger generations to continue listening, learning, and ensuring that these stories are never forgotten.
Chair of Jewish Society, Abi, said:
“The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2026, Bridging Generations, is a call to action. The responsibility to remember does not end with survivors—it passes to their children, grandchildren, and all of us. We have placed the voices of survivors and the testimonies of those murdered at the centre of our commemorations. Their accounts bring the reality of the Holocaust to life in a way no textbook can, confronting us with the truth and standing as a vital defence against denial and distortion.”
Through these commemorations, the NLCS community has come together to honour the memory of those who suffered and to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten. Thank you all the speakers who visited us to share their stories.
Jewish Society led a whole school Holocaust Memorial Day assembly
