A friend asked me recently, “It must be so depressing, doing what you do. Listening to stories of the Holocaust, being mired, day in day out in such misery.” I looked at her in astonishment. “It’s quite the opposite,” I replied. “The survivors I work with are inspirational, funny, positive, resilient, appreciative, forever smiling and looking forward. I am always, always learning from them. I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do.”
The Fed’s My Voice project gives survivors the life story books they deserve. As well as tell their Holocaust stories, it allows these remarkable people to revisit the joy of their pre-war childhoods, remember the loved ones they lost and take pride in the families and legacies they built from nothing. Now in their 80s, 90s and 100s (!), these books are their last words, their reflections on a life fully lived, and their hopes – and warnings – for the future.
They are an educational collection for future generations, but also a vital human story collection, showing us what happens when humanity is lost and prejudice rules.
So this is why I’m walking 25km on Monday 9 June. In honour of our remarkable London storytellers, Ivor Wieder, Harry Olmer, Jackie Young, Lydia Tischler, Jacques Weisser, Eve Kugler, Rachel Levy, Kurt Marx, Mala Tribich, Susan Pollack, Barbara Frankiss, Maurice Blik and Ruth Vecht. And the many, many more to come . . . with your help.
Please donate generously. Thank you,
Lauren, My Voice Project Lead, London