Matt Lucas: ‘My own family history has taught me importance of Holocaust education’

Actor and comedian Matt Lucas has said how his own link to the Holocaust has taught him how important education is to prevent antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

In conversation with TV personality Rob Rinder at the ’45 Aid Society dinner, Lucas said: “Prejudice such as antisemitism, Islamophobia and homophobia comes from a lack of education. We have a duty to educate people about our families’ experiences.”

Lucas talked about discovering, four years ago, during the filming of BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, that his grandmother's first cousin, Werner Goldschmidt, had rented a room off the Frank family in Amsterdam in 1942 and was living with them just before they went into hiding. Anne Frank wrote about Goldschmidt in her diary.

Goldschmidt was arrested in 1942, transported to the Nazi transit camp Westerbork, and later murdered at the hands of the Nazis in Bergen-Belsen.

Lucas said of his family link to the Holocaust: "Our connection to [the Holocaust] is gradually going, so it is important to tell these stories. They have to live on because look where we're going."

'45 Aid chair Angela Cohen MBE (left) and Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich MBE (Photo: Gary Perlmutter Photography)[Missing Credit]

He paid tribute to the work of the ’45 Aid Society, which was set up by the late Sir Ben Helfgott in 1963. Helfgott had been one of “The Boys” - a group of 732 child Holocaust survivors, including 200 girls, who were brought to Britain during 1945 and 1946. Helfgott founded the society to support fellow survivors and to give back to the country which had given them refuge.

Survivors and their descendants are now scattered all over the world, with some living in the UK, Israel, Australia, and the US, but many have retained close contact through the ’45 Aid Society.

The dinner marked the 81st anniversary of their liberation, with some of the guests flying in from overseas.

Rinder, whose grandfather, Moshe Malenicky, was one of “The Boys”, and whose mother, Angela Cohen MBE, is now the chair of the charity, told guests: “The work of organisations like the '45 Aid Society has a unique capacity to reach people and encourage them to raise their voices in solidarity."

One of the society’s aims is to educate about the Holocaust, and it works with a number of educational organisations, including UCL’s Centre for Holocaust Education, delivering sessions in more than 400 schools across the UK.

Student Aryan Jai (left) presents his painting, inspired by one of "The Boys", Sam Dresner, who was himself an artist, to John and Johanna Dresner, Sam’s son and daughter (Photo: Gary Perlmutter)[Missing Credit]

One of the most poignant moments during the evening saw Aryan Jai, a 17-year-old student who had attended a workshop at Trinity Catholic School in Leamington Spa, present his painting, inspired by one of “The Boys”, artist Sam Dresner, to Sam’s family.

The charity’s Lorraine Kingsley Award was given to Professor Nicola Wetherall from UCL’s Centre for Holocaust Education in recognition of her “outstanding work and contribution to Holocaust education and remembrance”.

Guests walked round an exhibition of photographs of “The Boys”, the brainchild of Julia Burton, which captured their journeys from childhood to adulthood, and third generation descendant Natalie Meltzer announced the launch of a new ’45 Aid Society website, a global resource and archive of survivor stories.

Natalie Meltzer (Photo: Gary Perlmutter Photography)[Missing Credit]

Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich MBE and the sister of Sir Ben Helfgott told guests: “With all the challenges facing Jews today, we are still here, together, and that is why this evening matters so much. This is not only a legacy that we inherit, it is one we must protect.

“In a world where hatred is rising again, we carry their voices with us, and we will not let them be silenced. The ’45 Aid Society will ensure that the legacy of ‘The Boys’ lives on for generations to come.”

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