Objects of the Holocaust

In this episode, Tim and Louisa speak to Ilana Metzger, daughter of the late Henry Wermuth. Henry survived Plaszow, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Nordhausen before being liberated at Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. In 1942, Henry attempted the unimaginable – the assassination of Hitler. Henry tried to derail the train he knew Hitler would be travelling on, and so tried to change the course of h...

In this episode, featuring Michael Attenborough CBE, we learn about the Attenborough family’s connection to the Holocaust. The Attenborough’s fostered two sisters, Irene and Helga Berjach, who came to the UK from Nazi Germany via the Kindertransport . They were welcomed into the family and lovingly cared for - the Attenborough boys (Richard, John and David) referred to them as their “little sister...

This episode features Judy Russell speaking about her father Ernest Levy OBE. On a Death March to Bergen-Belsen towards the end of the war, Ernest picked up a sardine tin which had been discarded by a guard. Instead of drinking the oil which would have given him a little sustenance, he fashioned a wick. Later, in a freezing cold barn, Ernest and his fellow prisoners lit this candle and sang Maoz T...

This episode centres on Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke BEM’s birth certificate. Eva was born in Mauthausen concentration camp on 29 April 1945. Her mother Anka was imprisoned in Auschwitz–Birkenau from 1 - 10 October 1944, after she volunteered to follow her husband who had been deported there from Terezin. 15 members of Eva’s immediate family were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau but Anka survived a...

This episode features best-selling author Ariana Neumann. Growing up in 1970s Venezuela, Ariana knew very little of her father's past. It wasn't until his death in 2001 and receiving a box of wartime documents, that she began to put the pieces of history together. This process of discovery led her to her Jewish relatives in 1930s Prague, to her grandparents' deportation to Terezin and to an incred...

This episode features Bernice and Josh Kennet, the daughter and grandson of Holocaust survivor Gena Turgel MBE. On the 15th April 1945 Gena was liberated by British troops from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Two days after liberation, Gena met Norman Turgel - a sergeant in the British Army who arrested Josef Kramer, Commandant of Belsen. On 7th October 1945, they were married, and Gena became k...

In this episode, journalist and broadcaster Nick Robinson talks about his grandparents’ experiences in 1930s Germany as the Nazis rose to power and of their eventual decision to leave Germany.   Objects of the Holocaust is brought to you by the Holocaust Educational Trust, a charity that works to ensure that people from every background are educated about the Holocaust and the important lessons to...

Coming 8th April: Objects of the Holocaust explores personal testimonies across generations through single objects, uncovering lesser-known histories of the Holocaust and telling incredible stories of family, loss, and survival. Hosted by Professor Tim Cole from the University of Bristol and actress and member of the second generation Louisa Clein, the series features a new guest each week who joi...