‘Holocaust survivors are shrinking in number – It’s time to listen’ says Angela Rayner

The Deputy Prime Minister spent time with Eve Kugler, 94, who was just seven when she witnessed Kristallnacht – and ten when she was torn from her family and sent to America for Safety

Angela Rayner said it’s “time to listen” as she met with a Holocaust survivor to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Deputy Prime Minister spent time with Eve Kugler, 94, who was just seven when she witnessed Kristallnacht – and ten when she was torn from her family and sent to America for Safety.

“Eve is a force to be reckoned with,” Ms Rayner wrote for the Mirror.

“She built a fulfilling life — marriage, children, a successful career in journalism — and thankfully, her immediate family also survived the Holocaust.

“Today, aged 94, she continues to share their story and breathe life into Holocaust education.”

“While we remember the Holocaust for its brutality and as a stark reminder of where hatred can lead when left unchallenged, each survivor’s testimony I’ve heard also reveals a story of resilience and hope.

“Sadly, survivors are shrinking in number with each passing year — and as we commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow it is ever more important that we learn from their experiences.”

‘It’s ever more important that we learn from their experiences’

By Angela Rayner

This week, as we approach 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and remember the murder of six million innocent Jews, I have had the privilege of meeting Eve Kugler.

She was just seven when she witnessed the horrors of Kristallnacht – the ‘night of the broken glass’ – and ten when she was torn from her family and sent to America for safety.

Yet Eve is a force to be reckoned with. She built a fulfilling life – marriage, children, a successful career in journalism – and thankfully, her immediate family also survived the Holocaust. Today, aged 94, she continues to share their story and breathe life into Holocaust education.

While we remember the Holocaust for its brutality and as a stark reminder of where hatred can lead when left unchallenged, each survivor’s testimony I’ve heard also reveals a story of resilience and hope.

Sadly, survivors are shrinking in number with each passing year – and as we commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow it is ever more important that we learn from their experiences.

In the words of Eli Wiesel, Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor, “Whoever listens to a witness becomes a witness, so those who hear us, those who read us must continue to bear witness for us.”

When we listen, we keep their stories alive, helping push back against Holocaust distortion and the shameful rise of antisemitism.

And there are magnificent groups helping us.

The Holocaust Educational Trust is doing incredible work harnessing the power of technology to enable future generations to interact with survivors and hear their stories first-hand.

We’re also moving closer to work beginning on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in London. It will sit at the very heart of our democracy alongside Parliament, ensuring the tragedy of the Holocaust is never forgotten and the stories of survivors are preserved.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has chosen ‘For A Better Future’ as its theme for 2025 – passing the baton onto us to listen, remember and act. Together, we must keep the promise of ‘never again’ because antisemitism has no place in our, or any, society now – or ever.