We honoured to welcome Holocaust Survivor, Ivor Perl BEM and his granddaughter Lia Bratt, to the University of Sussex on Wednesday 7 February 2024 for our annual Holocaust Memorial Day at Sussex event.

Ivor Perl was born on 4 February 1932, in the Hungarian town of Mako. He was 12 years old when he was taken to Auschwitz. He survived with the help of his older brother, but the rest of his family were murdered in the Holocaust.

“Out of my family of nine children and my parents, only me and my brother Alec survived. He saved me from the jaws of death.”

After liberation, the brothers stayed in a displaced persons’ camp, attempting to find out what had happened to their family. Months later, they were told by the Red Cross that neither their parents nor any of their siblings had survived. In November 1945, Ivor and Alec managed to get on a transport to England, where they settled in London.

Ivor says: “All I can do is talk about my experiences and tell whoever wants to listen what happened. Even if there’s only one person who has heard either me or somebody else’s story, it makes a difference.”

Ivor, who is now in his 90s, was accompanied by his granddaughter Lia Bratt, to help tell his story.

Lia Bratt is a speaker for the Holocaust Education charity, Generation 2 Generation, also known as G2G. G2G empowers second and third generation Holocaust survivors and close family friends to present their family histories to a wide range of audiences. Through the use of survivor testimony, G2G aims to keep these Holocaust stories alive and promote the importance of inclusivity and Human Rights. There are currently 34 speakers, including 7 members of the third generation. G2G is keen to recruit more 3 G speakers and speakers from outside. Currently 20 people are developing their presentations with Generation 2 Generation.