Hephzibah Rudofsky

Hephzibah Rudofsky is the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and has dedicated over two decades to Holocaust education.

In 2006, she served as Schools Tour Director for an innovative theatre production about Anne Frank, which she brought to schools and prisons across the UK. Inspired by this experience, in 2009, Hephzibah developed Surviving the Holocaust, an educational programme built around the wartime story of her mother, Lady Zahava Kohn. Their interactive presentation combined testimony, storytelling, and a selection of letters, documents, and objects from the family’s time in the Westerbork, Biberach, and Bergen-Belsen.

In 2015, she appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and was later that year awarded the Freedom of the City of London. In 2019, she received the Points of Light Award from Prime Minister Theresa May for her outstanding contribution to Holocaust education.

Following Lady Zahava’s passing in 2022, Hephzibah remains dedicated to preserving and sharing her mother’s legacy, ensuring its messages of resilience, remembrance, and hope continue to inspire future generations.

One student commented: “The talk was awe-inspiring. I feel as though it really opened my eyes to a whole new side of the Holocaust because the facts and figures are one thing, but actually hearing a real-life story makes it so much more real and personal.” Another found the talk “extraordinary . . . it’s a primary source that tells us exactly how people who experienced the Holocaust felt, and what they had to do to stay alive. It was a surreal and amazing experience.”

Hephzibah has delivered the programme to tens of thousands of schoolchildren across Britain, Germany, and the United States, as well as to university students and adult audiences of all backgrounds and faiths. Her talks bring history to life, and the family artefacts she shares offer a rare, tangible connection to this dark period of history.

www.survivingtheholocaust.co.uk