Historian honoured by Prince William for letting Holocaust survivors tell their stories

In 2003, Bea co-founded Refugee Voices, which is part of the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), creating the first British Holocaust testimony archive. Other organisations have done similar work, but Refugee Voices remains Britain’s largest video archive of Holocaust testimonies, with 330 of them – half of which were recorded by Bea.

“Many people were hesitant to tell their story until we recorded their testimonies. Either they weren’t ready or they were too busy,” said Bea. “For some survivors and refugees, it’s much easier for them to tell their story to a stranger than a relative as they don’t worry about upsetting someone.”

For some, it gives them a sense of closure. For others, it feels like a way of fulfilling a duty in terms of Holocaust education

Bea has overseen the creation of the Holocaust Testimony UK portal,  which provides free online access to the interviews with British Holocaust survivors, recorded by Refugee Voices, and other archives. Testimonies are often used by Holocaust educators and researchers, but they are also “something tangible family members can use to start a conversation, or a second or third generation descendant can find out about a grandparent or great-grandparent they never met”, said Bea, who has three children.

The work is close to her heart as both her late parents were Holocaust survivors. Her mother, Gertrud Friedman, survived the Holocaust by hiding in Slovakia, and her father, Josef Lewkowicz, endured slave labour and concentration camps in Poland. They met in Slovakia after the war, moving to Munich, where Bea was born – and later to the UK.

While working at the USC Shoah Foundation, Bea interviewed her father about his experience during the Holocaust, and her mother was interviewed by a colleague for Refugee Voices. “After she died, I found a manuscript of her war-time experiences, where she had meticulously recorded her childhood memories, how she survived the war and what it was like to go home afterwards.” Bea is now turning the manuscript into a book, due to be published in a few months’ time by Lemon Soul.

Bea with her family at Windsor Castle (Photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

On average, an interview with a Holocaust survivor or refugee takes around four hours, but they can take as long as eight, said Bea.

“What I aim to do is help someone tell their story by giving them space and a structure to do that. Being listened to is very important, and there is an understanding that sharing memories can restore agency for someone. For me, it's a privilege to listen to someone telling their story and connect with them.”

She said the reasons people decided to share their stories of survival varied. “For some, it gives them a sense of closure. For others, it feels like a way of fulfilling a duty in terms of Holocaust education, even if the experience [of talking about it] is painful. They are worried that history will be forgotten and want people to learn from their experiences. One woman said to me after I had listened to her story: ‘I’ve done it now, so I don’t have to talk about it again.’”

At a time when antisemitism and Holocaust distortion are once again rising at deeply alarming levels, Bea’s investiture carries particular poignancy

In 2010, Bea co-founded Sephardi Voices UK to record the experiences of people from the biggest post-war wave of Jewish immigration to the UK. The archive includes 125 testimonies from Jewish people who were displaced from the Middle East, North Africa and Iran – and Bea has interviewed 50 of them.

“Their stories are a really important record for educating people about the current Middle East conflict and responding to accusations of colonialism. Jews had to leave these countries because they were expelled. These stories need much more attention today to help us understand current antisemitism.”

Since October 7, Bea has been asking interviewees if they are worried about rising antisemitism in the UK. “Many feel anxious” she said, and while she doesn’t think that Holocaust testimonies are enough to combat contemporary antisemitism, she said they played a vital role in “protecting the truth in an age of Holocaust denial and distortion”.

Bea’s recognition was praised by colleagues at AJR. Chief executive Michael Newman OBE said: “At a time when antisemitism and Holocaust distortion are once again rising at deeply alarming levels, Bea’s investiture carries particular poignancy and significance. Her lifelong commitment to ensuring the testimonies and experiences of Jewish refugees and survivors are never forgotten has never been more important.

“On behalf of everyone at the AJR, I want to congratulate and thank Bea for her extraordinary dedication to preserving our archive and safeguarding the testimony and legacy of our members for future generations. This honour is richly deserved.”