The AJR is the exclusive charity supporting a unique community united by a shared history and a commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust
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We fund Holocaust education, combat antisemitism, and produce leading resources to advance research for future generations
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Home to the UK’s largest community of descendants, we warmly welcome all with a connection to, or interest in, this history: descendants, researchers, and those committed to remembrance, justice and education
Join Us TodayDrawing on powerful material from AJR Refugee Voices and AJR My Story, the below exhibition highlights personal testimonies, photographs and documents from Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution and rebuilt their lives in Britain. The exhibition theme will change throughout the year, offering fresh perspectives from our unique testimony archive.
This collection illuminates the experiences of children rescued by the Kindertransport. The Kindertransport was a rescue effort between 1938 and 1939 that brought around 10,000 mostly Jewish children from Nazi-controlled territories to safety in Britain after the rise of Nazi persecution.
27
Members over 100 years of age
+300
Holocaust testimony videos
4
Visits from the King to the AJR
“It was so interesting and incredibly useful listening to Holocaust educators from around the world sharing ideas, challenges, and new ways to reach the next generation in what is now a very different time and world. The insights and conversations have reinforced just how vital it is that we continue to adapt, learn, and find new ways to ensure the lessons of the past remain alive and relevant.”
“Thank you for visiting us yesterday. We thought the meeting went brilliantly. We are so lucky to have a social worker as gentle, understanding and caring as you. We really appreciate all the support and advice you give us.”
“Thank you so much for putting on such an amazing event. I’ve found documents about my grandparents that I hadn’t seen before, including my dad’s name on a Kindertransport list. I can’t tell you how much it means to me and my family and thank everyone at the AJR for all you do.”
"My client arrived on the Kindertransport as a small child. Her husband passed away many years ago, and she does not have children. I visit her each week and we talk about current affairs over coffee and cake, and quite often we go out for lunch together. She recently told me that she had forgotten that I was her volunteer and referred to me as her friend! That’s why I love being a volunteer for the AJR."
1,857
AJR Members of whom +600 are 1st generation, of which 30 are over 100 years old
+£8m
Directly allocated to members for homecare and other support services
69,599
Minutes of face-to-face volunteer support in the last 12 months
Exclusive Online Talk for AJR Members
Exclusive Online Talk for AJR Members
14 July 2026
Amelie Neckles, Fourth Generation Holocaust Refugee Before I
14 July 2026
Kate Connolly- The Guardian Monday 27 January
As AJR celebrates 85 years of dedicated service, hearing from the very people who lie at the heart of our mission is a beautiful reminder of why we do what we do. Our community’s strength, resilience and enduring connection are what drive us forward every single day.
A massive thank you to our incredible members for your beautiful messages and a very hearty Mazel Tov to our entire AJR family on this historic milestone!
Third generation descendant, Joshua Nelken-Zitser, the author of ‘Trauma Bonds: How Generational Trauma Shapes, Divides, and Connects Us,’ shares how his Grandma spoke about her experience for the sake of history.
His book will be released in January 2027 by Harper Collins.
Tracing centuries of Jewish tradition, resilience and survival on our trip to Paris.
From the heavy history preserved at Drancy and the Shoah Museum to the thriving, vibrant community culture alive in Le Marais, this trip was a deeply moving reminder of strength and heritage. Every street corner tells a story of the city’s rich Jewish culture and enduring past.
‘He remembered a song which was written in the Łódź ghetto and he sang it to me”
Dr Bea Lewkowicz Director of the AJR Refugee Voices Testimony Archive, shares the powerful and moving evolution of their oral history project. Since 2003, the archive has preserved 331 invaluable life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees.
As time passes, the urgency only grows, with the average age of interviewees rising from 81 to 89. Every story is a vital piece of history that deserves to be heard.
Mary was born in Romania in 1940, just before everything changed due to the war. Her father worked in a labour camp while Mary and her mother went into hiding but eventually they were all deported to Transnistria, a Romanian and German-run concentration camp, where they lived and suffered for four years. After the war the family moved to the States but Mary eventually moved to England to marry Michael, after her first husband died tragically young. More tragedy befell Mary as she had a terrible car accident in her 30’s, the effects of which changed her life.
Read Mary’s fully story in the My Story section on the AJR website.
“It’s not only the story of one individual, it’s a recreation of a world which doesn’t exist anymore.”
For Dr. Bea Lewkowicz, Director of the AJR Refugee Voices Testimony Archive, safeguarding the legacy of Holocaust survivors and refugees is a massive responsibility. In this video, Bea shares a beautiful example of this preserved history: the Kindertransport documents and small metal badge belonging to Gerta Regensburger.
Gerta trusted the archive with these deeply personal artefacts, which now reside safely at The Wiener Holocaust Library. By securing both the oral testimonies and the physical fragments of these lives, we ensure that the lessons and truths of the past are future proof.
Third generation descendant, Joshua Nelken-Zitser, the author of ‘Trauma Bonds: How Generational Trauma Shapes, Divides, and Connects Us,’ shares how he learnt about the Holocaust.
His book will be released in January 2027 by Harper Collins.
“Except I had one thing with me, and that was my teddy bear… They couldn’t take it away from me because I was carrying it.”
Holocaust survivor Peter Summerfield BEM shares a moving memory of escaping Berlin with his family just days before the outbreak of World War II. After giving up everything they owned in Germany, the family’s three remaining suitcases were lost during their journey to England.
Left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and his father’s attaché case, a six-year-old Peter managed to hold onto just one deeply personal possession - his beloved teddy bear.
Now, nearly 90 years later, Peter shares the incredible story of the only childhood object that survived the escape with him.
The AJR is home to the UK’s largest community of Holocaust refugees and their descendants, welcoming anyone with a connection to – or interest in – this history, from researchers to those committed to remembrance and education.
By supporting the AJR, you help preserve the legacy of Holocaust refugees and survivors and ensure future generations learn from their stories. Through funding Holocaust education, combating antisemitism, and supporting our research, AJR plays a vital role in keeping this history alive.
