holocaust – Every Stitch A Story

Tikkun Olam – healing for a broken world

November 18, 2024November 18, 2024 everystitchastory

Over the past week or so I have been ‘gifted’ a number of remarkable contributions to the 80 Candles Quilt. Beautiful, thoughtful and carefully crafted squares each representing a life affected by the Holocaust and the Nazi regime. These squares act as a recognition and celebration of a life lived. They also depict the horror of lives taken, lives brutally altered and subsequently lives impacted for generations to follow.

Participant contributions – Every Stitch A Story

The weight of these personal stories has at times in recent weeks felt heavy to carry. When mentioning this to a truly wonderful participant at workshop last week they offered me the gift of the Hebrew phase to help me in the weeks to come, ‘Tikkun Olam’. ‘Tikkun Olam’ is the Jewish concept of the importance of social action and carrying out acts of kindness in the pursuit of improving, repairing and healing a broken world. The 80 Candles Quilt Project was referred to as the act of ‘a peace maker’.

When I began this project, the key aims were education, memorialisation and honoring those affected. What I never anticipated was that this project would, so long after the events, offer a sense of comfort to those personally affected. That sharing and honoring would help people feel seen, heard and acknowledged and that the project would provide space for healing and repair. Every contributor to this project has carried out an act of Tikkun Olam – together we are carrying out small acts of healing for a broken world. So, whilst this weight is at times heavy, it is worth carrying and it feels lighter when we carry it together.

Welcome to the project team!

November 11, 2024 everystitchastory

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.

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.

Uncovering stories… who will be represented on the quilt?

October 10, 2024October 10, 2024 everystitchastory

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

September 22, 2024September 22, 2024 everystitchastory

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