
Pride: Lesbians and Gays supporting the miners 1984-85
Support groups throughout the UK were encouraged to pair with a mining community after the Thatcher administration stopped distributing the funds of the National Union of Mineworkers. The Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) was formed by Mark Ashton and Michael Jackson after the pair began collecting in the 1984 Pride march in London.Continue reading “Pride: Lesbians and Gays supporting the miners 1984-85”

Visiting Holocaust Sites
On the 25th February 2015 I visited Auschwitz, Poland, with the Holocaust educational trust as part of the Lessons from Auschwitz programme (LFA). Whilst I was there I visited a pre-war Jewish Cemetry, Auschwitz I & Auschwitz II. On the week beginning 6th April I visited the Anne Frank House, the Old Jewish Quarter, theContinue reading “Visiting Holocaust Sites”

Mala Tribich
‘When you hear from a witness, you become a witness’ – Elie Wiesel This is the third time I have had the priviledge of hearing Mala tell her story. Yesterday, Mala joined the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) to live stream her testimony, to give not just us Ambassadors, but our friends, families and anyone whoContinue reading “Mala Tribich”

Finding your voice as a leader with Lord Browne of Madingley in conversation with Judge Robert Rinder
Disclaimer : The wording of this transcript is not 100% accurate, this is due to the pace of the live interview & my typing speed. For example, I have restructured the questions after making a brief note of the theme whilst listening to the interview. Direct quotations are clearly indicated. Judge Rinder : Lord Browne,Continue reading “Finding your voice as a leader with Lord Browne of Madingley in conversation with Judge Robert Rinder”

Popular misconceptions of the Holocaust – what can we do?
This was probably my favourite session of AmCon at home as I was in the middle of devising a scheme of work on the Holocaust for my PGCE. I’m gutted I didn’t have the chance to deliver it and tackle some of these issues in the classroom. Catrina Kirkland, HET’s education officer who delivers theirContinue reading “Popular misconceptions of the Holocaust – what can we do?”

Countering Hate Speech #BeLouder
Julia Mozer, communication officer and hate speech adviser for CEJI: A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, gave the HET Ambassadors tips on countering hate speech. There was a bitter irony to the timing of this session, as it closely succeeded the tragic death of George Floyd. The conversation, therefore – whilst initially about respondingContinue reading “Countering Hate Speech #BeLouder”

No Laughing Matter: The Holocaust & Humour – Yoni Berrous
Yoni’s lecture focused on Jewish humour leading up to, and during the Holocaust – the darkest chapter of Jewish history. If I’m honest, I didn’t understand every example Yoni showed us; this is mostly because they have been translated and thus may not carry the same meaning, but there is also a stark difference inContinue reading “No Laughing Matter: The Holocaust & Humour – Yoni Berrous”

AmCon 2020 – Welcome
Karen Pollock opened AmConAt Home as usual, by declaring how much comfort, joy and reassurance it gave her to see so many Ambassadors. She spoke of how thrilled Holocaust survivors are that we exist to continue telling their stories. This year marks 75 years since the liberation of Bergen-Belsen – I cannot believe how quicklyContinue reading “AmCon 2020 – Welcome”

AmCon 2018 – Hear My Voice
On Monday 2nd July I had the privilege of attending my 3rd Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassador Conference. I knew this conference would feel different to the previous ones I’ve attended as I still have the keys to my student accommodation and could stay in London the night before, as opposed to getting up at 5amContinue reading “AmCon 2018 – Hear My Voice”

AmCon 2015
Introduction Peter Bazalgette, TV producer: As I’ve stated previously, this year marks the 70th year of the liberation of the Holocaust camps. Peter Bazalgette, Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation opened the Conference with a speech on Remembering For the Future. This was especially relevant after the death of Nicholas Winton (liberator), often describedContinue reading “AmCon 2015”

Lili Elbe ‘The Danish Girl’
Lili Elbe, also known as Einar Wegener, was a Danish transgender woman who was one of the first recipients of sex reassignment surgery. Einar married Gerda Gottlieb in 1904 after meeting during their time at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen. Einar and Gerda proceeded to live together as successful professional painters. Einar’sContinue reading “Lili Elbe ‘The Danish Girl’”

How important was the fear of Communism in explaining the rise of power of Hitler and the Nazi’s?
During the 1920’s & 30’s, support for Hitler and the Nazi’s grew. Communism was seen as a threat as it was very left wing and would result in everything being State provided, total equality, and therefore the loss of profit. The fear of Communism was important in explaining the rise of power of Hitler andContinue reading “How important was the fear of Communism in explaining the rise of power of Hitler and the Nazi’s?”

How far was the appeal of Fascist ideology due to corporatism?
Corporatism, along with a totalitarian government, a heroic leader, extreme nationalism, militarism and hatred of communism, were the features of Fascism that Mussolini created. Each central feature appealed to a different group of the population. The appeal of Fascist ideology was due to Corporatism. Corporatism was the state controlled economic plans which would aim toContinue reading “How far was the appeal of Fascist ideology due to corporatism?”

Holocaust Denial & Annelies
A note by Zalman Gradowski written on 6 September 1944, was hidden in an aluminium flask. It reads: “Dear Finder Search everywhere, in every inch of soil. Tens of documents are buried under it – mine and those of other persons – which will throw light on everything that was happening here. Great quantities ofContinue reading “Holocaust Denial & Annelies”

Harry Bibring (1925-2019)
“There is only one race. The Human Race.”

Why the US failed to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese
The US failed to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese because they saw them as sub-human in comparison. The majority of South Vietnam’s population were peasants working on the rice fields. They lived in areas lacking electricity, running water, and proper sewage and waste systems. Their small homes were made out of mud,Continue reading “Why the US failed to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese”

The Hitler Myth
The Hitler myth was created as a reaction to the weakness of the Weimar government. The Weimar government was failing to solve Germany’s problems. After WWI and the agreement to pay France reparations, Germany was becoming economically crippled. In an attempt to solve this, the Weimar government printed extra money. However, this was money GermanyContinue reading “The Hitler Myth”

“Within the context of the causes of witch-hunting, 1603 – 1712, how typical were the causes of Matthew Hopkins campaigns, 1645-1647?”
The witch hunts took place between the years 1450-1750[1], peaking between the years 1610-1630[2]. Their purpose was to identify and persecute supposed witches, primarily when a threat to Christian society was perceived. The King James Bible states that “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live[3],” showing that the belief in witchcraft was not aContinue reading ““Within the context of the causes of witch-hunting, 1603 – 1712, how typical were the causes of Matthew Hopkins campaigns, 1645-1647?””