Manfred Goldberg, a Holocaust survivor who tirelessly shared his story with schools across the UK, has died aged 95.
A prominent champion of Holocaust education, Mr Goldberg dedicated his life to ensuring the "atrocities of the Holocaust would never be forgotten and that antisemitism in all its guises would be confronted", according to the Holocaust Educational Trust.
His advocacy led him to meet with the King, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Sir Keir Starmer.
In September, he was awarded an MBE by the King at Clarence House for his services to Holocaust remembrance and education.
Born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Kassel, Germany, on 21 April 1930, Mr Goldberg was deported by the Nazis to the Riga Ghetto in Latvia in December 1941, alongside his mother, Rosa, and younger brother, Herman.
As the Red Army approached Riga in August 1944, surviving prisoners were moved to Stutthof concentration camp, near Gdansk in Poland.
Mr Goldberg spent more than eight months as a slave worker in Stutthof, where tens of thousands of Jews were killed, and its subcamps, including Stolp and Burggraben, before being liberated by the British army in May 1945, aged 15.
He came to Britain with his mother in September 1946 to be reunited with his father, Baruch, who had escaped in August 1939, just days before the Second World War began, after securing a visa via British diplomat Frank Foley.
After learning English, Mr Goldberg completed an engineering degree and went on to share the story of what happened to him, his family and the Jews of Europe.
Mr Goldberg, who was married with four sons, several grandchildren and a great-grandchild, returned to Germany in 2018 to lay a memorial stone for Herman, who was killed during the Holocaust.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Mr Goldberg was “truly extraordinary”.
She added: “Manfred’s passing leaves an irreplaceable void in our hearts and in our community.
“Having endured unimaginable horror and loss, he chose to look forward, dedicating his life to ensuring that the atrocities of the Holocaust would never be forgotten and that antisemitism in all its guises would be confronted.
“Manfred understood the power of education. He spent decades sharing his story with young people across the country and through the Trust’s programme Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust, his legacy is assured.
“Thanks to digital eyewitness testimony combined with virtual reality, this programme will ensure that his incredible testimony will continue to reach generations of students for many years to come.
“We will deeply miss Manfred – his kindness, his encouragement, wisdom and his gentle guidance. He was a true Tzadik – a righteous – and we will strive harder than ever in his name to continue his mission.”
