Blog

Welcome to the project team!

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Support for the Holocaust Memorial Day: 80 Candles Quilt project has been amazing! Organisations including The Multi Faith Centre, Ashbourne Methodist Church Craft & Chat Group and the National Holocaust Centre & Museum have provided workshop space; a steady stream of financial donations have been trickling in via the crowdfunding page (please keep donating) and participants have been incredibly generous with their time, creating beautiful, meaningful dedications. I am delighted to share that the project is also benefiting from research support as Yael Sacker has joined the Project Team.

Yael is an International Relations master’s graduate from University of Birmingham and has been beavering away behind the scenes working on research to help shape the project. Researching a broad spectrum of individuals affected by the holocaust, Yael has created a selection of easy-to-read profiles so that participants who don’t have the skills or time to do their own research can still take part.

Yael Sacker, Research Support

I have a passion for research which I am excited to apply to this project. The HMD project is one close to my heart as many of my ancestors perished in the Holocaust, and this project is wonderful chance to amplify their and other victims’ stories and voices.

Participants have been enjoying reading the profiles and a number have been selected as the focus of their creative contributions. These will be available at the last remaining workshops at The Multi Faith Centre on Tuesday 12th November, The National Holocaust Centre and Museum on Thursday 14th November and to student Art Ambassadors at Queen Elizabeths Grammar School who are taking part in the project in the coming weeks.

Narrative threads of a bigger story…

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The Holocaust Memorial Day: 80 Candles Quilt Project is well under way; gently gathering people and stories, building learning, understanding and connections. No two workshops have been the same, some vibrant spaces of research and tradition sharing, others more gentle quiet spaces of reflection and creativity.

Participants at the Cornerstone Cafe, Ashbourne in a workshop sponsored by Ashbourne Methodists Craft & Chat Group.

21 participants have taken part so far in the 3 workshops and 21 more are signed up to workshops over the coming weeks. We also have 7 postal packs out in the wild. Contributions have begun to be delivered, it’s so exciting to see what participants have created and fascinating to get an insight into their research.

For Susanne Lang by Naomi Feldman
For Sonja Jaslowitz by Laura Burrill

There is a clear sense from participants that this project is broadening understanding and knowledge. By stitching together, we are all benefiting from each other’s research. Our small contributions are narrative threads in a much bigger story. “I never leaned any of this in school” has been a common workshop comment. With participants of all ages, social and religious backgrounds taking part, it is really starting to feel like an important piece of work with agency to keep the conversation going well after its completion.

Mother and daughter stitching at the Cornerstone Cafe Workshop, Ashbourne. Irene is a GCSE Textiles Student and Beth is a member of the Ashbourne Creative Stitchers group.

Crowdfunding Page LIVE!

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At the risk of being crass, running community projects takes money; workshop space, fabric, threads and of course my time as a professional Textile Artist & Community Arts Practitioner. Funding for projects can be tricky to come by, but the 80 Candles Memorial Quilt Project was something I really wanted to do. It feels important and timely.

Determined not to let the lack of funding out there deter me, I have forged ahead and ‘trusted the process’. Previous projects have taught me that if you have vision, passion and determination, and you can share that with others, it really does all work out in the end. This project is proving no different, not only have the Multi Faith Centre, Ashbourne Methodist Craft & Chat Group, Brailsford Methodist Church and the National Holocaust Centre & Museum supported the project by donating venue space to host workshops, participants have been asking how they can donate towards costs too.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated so far, with a final quilt measuring nearly 1.5 meters by 2 meters it’s a costly piece to create. To honour those who had everything taken from them, right down to their clothes and shoes, I have strayed from my usual practice of utlising vintage and reclaimed fabrics and opted instead for beautiful linens and organic cottons.

The results so far are truly inspiring. The workshops have been beautiful spaces for storytelling, connection and creativity. The first squares finished are wonderful miniature visual narratives or people’s lives and have offered the time for contributors to really connect with the experience of others and share that story more widely. If you’d like to get involved with or support this project there are three ways to get involved:

  • Take part in a workshop, dates and links here and make a donation towards costs.
  • Order a postal pack and complete your contribution from the comfort of your own home.
  • Donate to the project and have your name embroidered on the back of the quilt.

We currently have 30 participants and nearly 40 squares in progress, please help us create this beautiful memorial and join the team!

Uncovering stories… who will be represented on the quilt?

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This week I visited The National Holocaust Centre and Museum for the first time. Based in Newark, Nottinghamshire it’s only an hour from my Derbyshire home. I have wanted to visit for years, but I’ve never quite managed to bring myself. Let’s be honest, it’s not a visit you expect to be joyous.

A participant of the project had said she was interested in representing one of the ‘Windermere children’ and unbelievably one of those children, Arek Hersh MBE, was due to speak at the centre this week. So, we agreed to go together. Unsure what to expect and a little nervous we were prepared for a day of sadness and heartbreak, but what surprised us both was the hope we left the centre with.

Suzanne Rappoport’s doll ‘Shaina. Left in hiding after escaping. Kept in safekeeping by a family near Paris and reunited with Suzzanne 60 years later.

Yes, we cried. The stories and experiences shared through the exhibitions (and we only got to see one ‘The Journey’ as there is so much to see), was thought provoking, shocking and sad. The film of Arek’s experiences was truly horrifying. But Arek himself was incredible. At 95 years old, he sat on stage in a big red leather chair and told us of his experience.

“1000 people in a barracks. We slept on wooden planks, six to a bed, 3 beds high. I rolled my striped uniform and put it under my head.”

He told us of the lack of food, the inhumane conditions and daily brutality. He showed us his Auschwitz number, tattooed on his left inner arm, and spoke about the dehumanisation of prisoners. Much of what he said was impossible to imagine, what was clear was that it is a miracle that he survived. But he did. He went on to live a full life, became a mechanic, married and had children. He is a successful author and in 2009 was awarded an MBE for service in the field of Holocaust education.

Arek was so passionate that people heard his story, he is both serious and lighthearted. A man with a twinkle in his eye who has great comedic timing. Amongst the darkness of his story, he was keen to share the moments of light, the people that showed kindness by giving food and shelter, the friends he made along the journey, this fish he stole from an officer and cooked an ate with fellow inmates and those who supported his recovery after the war was over.

It was an honor to meet him, and I am so glad he will be represented in the 80 Candles memorial Quilt. A full list of names selected so far to be included can be found here.

Arek Hersh MBE with Laura Burrill, 7th October 2024, The National Holocaust Centre and Museum.

80 Candles Quilt Research Guide

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If you have signed up to help create the 80 Candles Quilt, thank you! If like me the thought of picking just one person out of the millions of Jews and others who suffered under Nazi persecution is a little overwhelming, here are some tips and reliable trustworthy resources which I hope will be helpful.

Pick someone you can relate to. For me I wanted to find someone who stitched or sewed during their persecution; by searching museum archives I was led to Sonja Jaslowitz who embroidered a belt during her incarceration. Our connections with other humans are multiple and diverse, think about what may connect you… work, hobbies, faith, home, birth date, family, gender the list is endless.

What do you not know? Use this as an opportunity to expand your knowledge of the Holocaust. It didn’t just happen in Germany and Poland and wasn’t restricted to the persecution of Jewish people. Numerous other countries and social groups we affected and persecuted, many of these stories are rarely told.

Use reliable resources. There is a huge amount of information available on the internet. Use resources wisely and ask yourself if the source can be trusted. Below is a list of resources I would recommend as a starting point:

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (hmd.org.uk) – The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) is the charity established and funded by the UK Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) in the UK. It has an excellent collection of resources including testimonials and personal stories.

OOEJ – Homepage – Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary Journeys – An interactive website developed by HMDT in partnership with The National Holocaust Centre and Museum and the Jewish Museum of Greece.

The Holocaust Explained: Designed for schools – This website has been created to help learners understand the essential facts of the Holocaust, its causes and its consequences. The Holocaust Explained includes hundreds of pages of content based on a wide variety of source material in the form of videos, images and text. It is managed by The Wiener Holocaust Library. The library is the oldest archive of material on the Nazi era and the Holocaust in the world. It is Britain’s national Holocaust archive.

Yad Vashem. The World Holocaust Remembrance Center – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center has a fantastic online document and photograph archive and survivor testimonies.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org) With online searchable archive or objects, photography and personal stories including diaries, memoirs and notebooks.

Take care of yourself. This is a challenging and heartbreaking subject. The loss of life, liberty and freedom alongside, the terror and brutality are heart wrenching. Remember that together we are doing important work, that by keeping the flame of remembrance alive we are helping to guard against future genocide. Take a break, share your research at the workshops and remember that these are a safe space, not only to share what we have learned but the impact this is having upon us. Self-care is important, get some fresh air, do something you love. You can also contact me laura_burrill@outlook.com