Ann Kirk BEM – a deeply loved member of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue and one of Britain’s most dedicated Holocaust educators – has died at the age of 96.

Together with husband Bob, who passed away just a few weeks ago, Ann helped teach thousands of young people about the horrors of the Nazi regime – with the couple using their own experiences to explain the need to treat all people with dignity and respect.

Bob and Ann at Buckingham Palace before receiving their British Empire Medals

Ann was born Hannah Kuhn in Berlin in 1928, escaping to the UK in 1938 on the Kindertransport. The day she boarded the train was the last time she ever saw her parents, who were murdered in the Shoah.

She met Bob – who also escaped the Nazis via the Kindertransport – at a club for Jewish refugees and they married in 1950 at The Liberal Jewish Synagogue (LJS).

Their commitment to the LJS and Liberal Judaism for more than 70 years – including taking on many leadership, education and support roles – saw the couple presented with an Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jewish Volunteering Network. They were also appointed as Vice Presidents of Liberal Judaism.

It was their Holocaust education work for which they became best known, using their later lives to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.

Ann and Bob at a recording for Holocaust Learning UK

Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “Ann always spoke with remarkable warmth, compassion, and resilience – tirelessly sharing her testimony with thousands of young people across the country.”

Michael Newman, Chief Executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, added: “Bob and Ann were kindred spirits – their relationship symbolised a message of hope born out of the horror of the Holocaust.”

The Jewish Chronicle has published an obituary for Ann. For those who would like to find out more about her life, she recorded her testimony for the AJR’s Refugee Voices project. Ann and Bob are also part of the Holocaust Learning UK film series for secondary school pupils.

Progressive Judaism Co-Lead Rabbi Charley Baginsky said: “Ann and Bob will be deeply missed. It is hard to imagine the LJS and our Progressive Jewish community without them. Their impact on wider society, and the amount of young people they helped to educate about why and how the Holocaust happened, helped make our world that little bit better.

“Our thoughts are with the Kirk family and all those in mourning.”