New Holocaust heritage and learning centre to open at Huddersfield University

Holocaust survivors Arek Hersch and Iby Knill, with Lilian Black from the Holocaust Survivor's Friendship Association light a candle in Leeds Town Hall. Picture Tony Johnson

It is to open at Huddersfield University after £600,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund was awarded to the Holocaust Survivors’ Friendship Association (HSFA).

It is thought the new Holocaust Heritage and Learning Centre will attract 20,000 visitors-a-year.

Material such as diaries, letters, clothing including camp uniforms and film footage, plus the personal testaments of survivors will be included in the centre in Heritage Quay.

Lilian Black, the chair of the HSFA said: “The legacy of the Holocaust survivors in Yorkshire is now secure and will be made available to pupils, students and the wider community for teaching and learning. There has never been a more important time for us all to work together to combat all forms of persecution – our membership knows only too well where discrimination leads and it is their dearest wish to make sure our past is not our future.”

Huddersfield University’s vice chancellor Prof Bob Cryan, said: “We are delighted to be partners with HSFA in this vitally important project.

“We look forward to the development of the Learning Centre here at the university to the benefit of children, young people and communities across the North of England and further afield, ensuring learning about the Holocaust for generations to come.”

Fiona Spiers, the head of Heritage Lottery Fund Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Holocaust survivors in Yorkshire bear a living witness to some of the most significant and horrific moments of the 20th century. We are delighted that National Lottery players are able to support the creation of this centre, to provide a permanent legacy for survivors, as well as a space for people to reflect on these events and learn from them.”