The My Voice initiative by The Fed secures a substantial £246,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The enduring accounts of Holocaust survivors residing in the North-West of England are set to "perpetually resonate", courtesy of a substantial grant nearing a quarter-million pounds.

The My Voice educational program, orchestrated by The Fed, endeavors to chronicle and immortalize the life stories of survivors and refugees. This project has now garnered a substantial contribution exceeding £246,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Hitherto, the charity has published 35 books, recounting the first-person life tales of survivors, with an additional ten projects in the pipeline.

This grant will empower My Voice to further prioritize education. It will facilitate face-to-face storytelling sessions with survivors, digital archiving of their narratives, and the establishment of student "guardians". Each guardian will be entrusted with safeguarding and disseminating the story of an individual survivor.

Moreover, the funding will facilitate the appointment of a new heritage and learning officer. This role will extend support to survivors as they narrate their experiences.

Raphi Bloom, a representative of The Fed, conveyed to JC: "With the passage of time, the books we create encapsulate invaluable firsthand testimonies. We are firmly dedicated to ensuring that these narratives transcend bookshelves and remain actively shared."

"The lessons they convey—of tolerance, resilience, and hope—are more imperative than ever," Bloom added.

A select group of schools will be invited to serve as "Beacon Schools". These institutions will play a pivotal role in disseminating their unique approaches to Holocaust education to other schools. The emphasis will be on personal storytelling, rather than relying heavily on statistics, as Bloom outlined.

The My Voice initiative, spearheaded by Greater Manchester-based The Fed, the city's largest Jewish social care charity, has been operational for five years.

Esteemed Holocaust educators, including Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, have commended this initiative, stating that safeguarding the legacy of Holocaust survivors is a paramount duty.

Juliette Pearce, the manager of My Voice, explained that the funding "will shift the focus from the abstract statistic of six million deaths to local personal accounts that empower students to grasp the reality of being ensnared in the Holocaust."

She emphasized that this funding "ensures that their extraordinary life stories will endure perpetually and serve as a potent counterforce to any misinformation or distortion surrounding the Holocaust."

As a social care charity, The Fed provides comprehensive support to survivors who recount their experiences, often the first time they've shared the trauma they endured, as Bloom highlighted.

In collaboration with Yad Vashem UK, My Voice is also extending its initiative to include survivors based in London who wish to document their life stories. Survivors are encouraged to engage with the charity to make these arrangements.

Notably, in June 2021, My Voice was honored with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the highest accolade attainable for a voluntary sector entity. Photo by Mary-Grace Blaha Schexnayder, Wikimedia commons.