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AJR Leads National Conversation on the Future of Holocaust Education at ‘Remembering & Rethinking 2025’
London 18 November 2025: The AJR, the UK’s largest dedicated funder of Holocaust education and commemorative projects and programmes, hosted Remembering & Rethinking 2025, a two-day international forum on Holocaust teaching, research, and remembrance, in London on 17 & 18 November 2025.
The conference brought together educators, academics and policy makers, from the UK and around the world, to explore how Holocaust education can evolve to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Opening remarks were delivered by Michael Newman OBE, Chief Executive of the AJR, who reaffirmed the organisation’s mission to preserve Holocaust memory and to strengthen educational efforts that also serve to combat Holocaust distortion and antisemitism.
The AJR supports a wide network of organisations, researchers, and projects dedicated to remembrance and learning. Remembering & Rethinking 2025 demonstrated this leadership in action — showcasing collaboration, innovation, and reflection across the field.
The programme featured a diverse range of panels and breakout sessions addressing new academic research, digital innovation, and trauma-informed approaches to Holocaust teaching. Discussions such as “Teaching Digital Natives about the Holocaust” and “What Do We Mean by Holocaust Education in 2025?” invited delegates to consider how educators can adapt to new technologies and learner needs, while maintaining authenticity and historical integrity.
A particularly powerful session, “The Role of Holocaust Testimony in Teaching and Learning”, explored how survivor and refugee testimonies remain central to effective Holocaust education. Contributors including Dr Bea Lewkowicz (AJR Refugee Voices), Amy Gee (Holocaust Educational Trust), and Dr Susan Krasner (Holocaust Learning UK) and reflected on the enduring impact of first-hand witness accounts and the opportunities for connecting younger generations to these stories, in innovative and meaningful ways.
The AJR’s own extensive testimony projects — Refugee Voices audio-visual archive, Holocaust Testimony UK and the My Story written testimony series, were highlighted as invaluable educational resources. Together, these collections preserve the personal histories of Jewish refugees from Nazism and ensure that their experiences continue to inform teaching, scholarship, and public understanding of the Holocaust.
International experts such as Catherine Clark (USC Shoah Foundation), Heather Mann (UNESCO), Dr Waitman Wade Beorn (University of Northumbria), and Prof. Oren Stier (Florida International University) also shared emerging research and best practices in Holocaust education and remembrance.
Also present at the conference was Dr Amy Williams, AJR’s Kindertransport Scholar in Residence. Dr Williams has recently made ground-breaking discoveries about the history and legacy of the Kindertransport, shedding new light on the experiences of those who escaped Nazi persecution as children. Her work forms part of AJR’s growing commitment to deepening public understanding of the Kindertransport in the lead-up to 90th anniversary of this unique rescue mission in 2028.
During the conference, AJR announced a new evaluation of the UK’s Holocaust education sector and its own grant programme, led by Ben Barkow (former Director of the Wiener Holocaust Library) and Clementine Smith (HET), to identify good practice and opportunities for future collaboration. The study will inform AJR’s ongoing work to strengthen connections, share resources, and promote partnership across the sector.
Commenting after the event, Alex Maws, AJR’s Head of Education & Heritage, said: “As the largest dedicated funder of Holocaust education in the UK, AJR is proud to convene conversations that shape the future of how this history is taught and understood. By centring survivor testimony and supporting innovative research, we can ensure that these stories continue to resonate powerfully with future generations.”
Evening receptions at the Austrian Embassy hosted by His Excellency the Austrian Ambassador Bernhard Wrabetz and at The Freud Museum provided moments of reflection and connection, with moving remarks from Hedi Argent, a Jewish refugee from Nazism who witnessed Kristallnacht.
The AJR extends its gratitude to all speakers and partners who supported the forum.
