About us

Holocaust Centre North promotes education on the Holocaust and post-Holocaust issues to raise awareness of human rights, freedom, and equality. We do so by telling a global history through local stories, specifically those of survivors and refugees who rebuilt their lives in the North of England.

Our work spans archives and collections, learning, artistic research, exhibitions, and survivor welfare. Through these areas, we aim to foster a culture of care and raise awareness about the relevance of Holocaust history today.

We collaborate closely with refugees of Nazi persecution, their families and carers, local communities, artistic practitioners, researchers, and schools to create spaces for nuanced dialogue about the ongoing relevance of the Holocaust. We strive to create opportunities for reflection on the role this dark chapter of our shared history plays in the present, using contemporary critical frameworks to engage audiences with Holocaust history.

Our story

In 1995, a conversation in Leeds led to the formation of what would become the Holocaust Survivors’ Friendship Association (HSFA). At the time, horrifying reports of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda dominated the news, reminding many that the threat of mass violence and persecution had not been consigned to the past.

In the offices of the Leeds Jewish Welfare Board, a group of social workers gathered for their regular weekly meeting to discuss their clients. As they talked, they began to realise something quite extraordinary: a number of the people they were supporting—who lived in the same city, unaware of each other—had all survived the Holocaust.

This recognition became a catalyst. What began as a routine meeting sparked a profound sense of responsibility: to bring these individuals together to socialise and support each other.

Following the initial revelation and subsequent outreach in local newspapers, numerous other survivors in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region emerged. Heinz Skyte, Chief Executive of the Welfare Board, who was himself a Holocaust survivor, convened a meeting of these people, laying the foundations for a supportive community.

These survivors had been in Britain for 50 years and had never spoken about their experiences. This burden had been bottled up for so long and it was incredibly liberating to finally talk about it with people who could relate and understand. Regular meetings were organised where survivors came to socialise and share their experiences over tea and coffee. A committee was formed with Heinz Skyte as Chairman, Martin Kapel as Vice-chair, and Barbara Cline as secretary, and the Holocaust Survivors Friendship Association (HSFA) was formally established in 1996.

It wasn’t long before some members of the group wanted to expand the remit from solely being a social group to taking on an educational role. Two members, John Chillag and Trude Silman were instrumental in organising training for those members who were prepared to tell their stories in public, and for setting up a group of speakers who were soon venturing out into schools and various other organisations to do talks about their experiences of the Holocaust. The HSFA also organised a variety of projects and exhibitions locally to increase knowledge of the Holocaust, which are now preserved in the Holocaust Centre North Archive.

By 2015, with members growing older, thoughts turned to safeguarding their legacy. Under the leadership of Chair Lilian Black—daughter of survivor Eugene Black—the vision emerged to create a permanent exhibition and learning centre in the North of England. Thanks to her dedication, this vision was realised in 2018 with the opening of Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Centre, based at the University of Huddersfield, housing the growing archive and telling the stories of HSFA’s core members.

Tragically, Lilian passed away from COVID-19 in 2020. However, her vision endures as the centre continues to thrive under its new identity as Holocaust Centre North. What began as an informal conversation in 1995 has blossomed into a powerful educational institution dedicated to telling a global history through the poignant local stories of Northern England. Our Chair is now Jenny Kagan, daughter of Margaret Kagan and Joseph Kagan.

Throughout our journey, we remain committed to our foundational values: bearing witness to truth, honouring survivors and continuously demonstrating solidarity with those whose courage and resilience brought the Holocaust Survivors’ Friendship Association—and now Holocaust Centre North—into existence.