Monday 27 January 2025 marks 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp.
Around the world, people are commemorating and hearing the testimonials of the few survivors left.
In 2021, we worked with Arsenal FC Academy to mark the first international Holocaust Survivor Day on 24 June with a special event that brought together the under-16s players with two Holocaust survivors – Ivor Perl and Miriam Freedman.
Ivor, who was a keen footballer as a boy, was only 12-years-old when he was sent to Auschwitz. He and his brother survived but the rest of his family were murdered by the Nazis. After the camps were liberated, Ivor arrived in Britain as part of one of the groups of child camp survivors, known as ‘the Boys’.
Miriam was born in Slovakia. She was forced into hiding when she was just 5 years old and survived the Holocaust though many of her close family were murdered.
The young Arsenal players planned and hosted the event which took place online, and saw Ivor and Miriam discuss their experiences and consider the question: What is strength? Facilitated by Big Ideas with planning and prepping sessions, it was the boys themselves who shaped and delivered the event.
Following the event, the boys wrote a letter to Ivor and another to Miriam. They also presented gifts.
Group notes from the under-16’s debrief session following the meeting with Ivor and Miriam
Arsenal under-16 player Bradley said “Learning from the amazing and moving insights of our guests, we were all able to think about how we show strength in different ways and at different times in our own lives. We were all inspired by Ivor and Miriam’s effort and determination and were challenged to consider how we apply those characteristics to our own challenges in life and football.”
“You will have the world at your feet. You can be a great force for good against hatred.” – Ivor
“Young people such as yourselves gives me hope”
– Miriam