THE founder of a Holocaust ancestry organisation will be the guest speaker at next month’s Holocaust Memorial Day events.
Helen Stone is the founder and associate director of Generation 2 Generation, a charity that trains the descendants of Holocaust survivors to tell their family stories.
One of Generation 2 Generation’s 41 speakers, Ms Stone is dedicated to sharing the story of her Jewish mother, Emmy Golding, who fled to England as a Jewish refugee from Germany in May 1939.
The memorial day aims to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, and millions more people murdered through the Nazi persecution of other groups.
Next year’s theme for the annual commemoration is ‘Bridging Generations’, Jersey Heritage said.
Ms Stone currently teaches English as a second language to refugees and asylum seekers for London-based charity New Citizens’ Gateway.
As well as the official commemorative ceremonies, Ms Stone will also use her time in Jersey to visit local secondary schools and will appear on stage at the Jersey Arts Centre in ‘An Audience with Helen Stone’.
Speaking ahead of her trip, she said: “I’m delighted and honoured to have been asked to be the speaker at the Jersey HMD ceremony. I visited Jersey for the first time in the summer of 2024 and was struck by the strong sense of independence and freedom that seems to permeate the Island.”
She continued: “The Jersey people clearly showed great courage and resilience in the face of German occupation and are rightly proud of this. My mother’s story of her escape from Germany provides an echo of these qualities and I look forward to sharing it.”
Jersey’s commemorations will take place at 1pm on Tuesday 27 January in the Occupation Tapestry Gallery at the Maritime Museum and at the Lighthouse Memorial on the New North Quay.
The ceremony is delivered annually for the Office of the Bailiff by Jersey Heritage in partnership with Jersey Jewish Congregation, Jersey Arts Centre, and the UK Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Organiser Chris Addy, Jersey Heritage’s WWII fortifications curator, added: “Helen Stone’s work to share her mother’s Holocaust story ties in perfectly with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s theme for 2026, which is a reminder that the responsibility of remembrance doesn’t end with the survivors, it lives on through their children and grandchildren, and through all of us.”
‘An Audience with Helen Stone’ will take place at 8pm on Tuesday, 27 January at Jersey Arts Centre. Tickets will be available from Arts Centre Box Office in the New Year.
