Holocaust Awareness Day 2026

To mark Holocaust Awareness Day on 27 January, our school joined people across the UK in remembering the six million Jewish people murdered during the Holocaust, targeted under racial, political and religious ideologies.

This year’s theme, 'Bridging Generations', reminds us that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with survivors. Their testimonies live on through their children, their grandchildren, and through each of us. By listening, learning and sharing their stories, we help build a bridge between memory and action, between history and hope for the future.

Students learnt about Holocaust Memorial Day in assemblies and during PDT, and on Thursday 29 January we were honoured to welcome Mrs. Dorit Oliver-Wolff BEM to Uplands Academy to share her experiences as a Holocaust survivor.

Dorit was born in Yugoslavia and moved to Hungary as a young child. She was just five years old when the Second World War began, and she and her mother spent the next five years in hiding. After the war, Dorit moved around Europe before forging a successful career in the music industry. She later settled in England and now dedicates much of her time to giving testimony about her experiences during the Holocaust.

It was wonderful to see our students so engaged throughout Dorit’s talk. Her visit provided invaluable insight for Year 9 as part of their Holocaust studies, and it also supported wider reflections for Holocaust Memorial Day and this year’s theme, ''Bridging Generations.''

Many students remained afterwards to ask Dorit questions, speak with her personally, and purchase signed copies of her books.

Mrs. Underdown, Head of History shared ''We would like to extend our thanks to Dorit for sharing her remarkable story so openly and generously with our school community. I have no doubt her message will stay with our students for many years to come.''

If you would like to purchase a copy of one of Dorit’s books, please click here.