Hephzibah Rudofsky (Kohn)
Hephzibah Rudofsky is the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust camp survivors and has been active in Holocaust education for twenty years. Prior to this she was involved in clinical research with the running of clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical companies.
However, Hephzibah’s greatest interest, throughout her life, has always been the impact of the Holocaust on her family history. So in 2006, she assumed the role of Schools Tour Director for an innovative theatre production about the Holocaust, bringing it to schools in and around London.
Since 2009, Hephzibah’s dedication to educating the younger generation about the Holocaust has deepened her connection to her own history. Building on the success of the theatre production, and in collaboration with her mother, Lady Zahava Kohn, she crafted an educational programme, ‘Surviving the Holocaust’. Based on her mother’s wartime experiences, the programme teaches the Holocaust to audiences of all ages, including adults, university students, and most of all, secondary-school pupils, through a vivid and interactive approach. These presentations focus on recounting Hephzibah’s mother’s remarkable story of survival during the Second World War.
In collaboration with her mother, Hephzibah has spoken to tens of thousands of pupils in schools across Britain, Germany, and the USA.
Hephzibah is the custodian of a significant archive containing artefacts, letters, documents, and other items collected by her mother and grandmother during their incarceration in Westerbork, Bergen-Belsen and Biberach camps. This extraordinary archive adds a particularly poignant and visceral dimension to Hephzibah’s presentations.
In April 2015, Hephzibah was a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. In October 2015 she was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and in June 2019, Hephzibah received the Points of Light Award from the Prime Minister – both in recognition of her work in Holocaust education. She is a regular speaker for the charity, ‘Speakers for Schools’.
Following Lady Zahava’s death in 2022, Hephzibah has taken on sole responsibility of passing on her mother’s remarkable story and its inspiring message of hope to a new generation. She brings a personal perspective to the historical events, making her story more relatable for students.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
In the words of one pupil:
“You read about this in history textbooks, internet resources, books, but to hear a story of a personal account from their own recollection is an amazing opportunity. This feels like it is a part of a moment in history. Uplifting and inspiring.”
Zahava Kohn MBE
Zahava Kohn (Kanarek) was born in Palestine in 1935 and grew up in pre-war Amsterdam. These were anxious times for European Jewish families living in the shadow of Nazi Germany. In May 1943, Zahava and her family were rounded up and sent to Westerbork transit camp in Holland, and in January 1944 they were sent to Bergen-Belsen in Germany. They were released in 1945 and following a prolonged period of intensive rehabilitation in Switzerland, settled back in Amsterdam, hoping to re-build their disrupted and shattered lives.
In 1958, Zahava moved to London. She married pharmacologist Dr Ralph Kohn (the late Sir Ralph Kohn), in March 1963, and thereafter lived in London. She had three daughters and five grandchildren.
In 2001, after Rosy died, Zahava discovered her mother’s archive of documents and memories – precariously collected and kept during the war–which had been hidden away in a small suitcase at the back of a cupboard. Armed with this treasure trove of memories, Zahava wove together the story of her family’s wartime experiences in a book, Fragments of a Lost Childhood, published in 2009. Since its publication, Zahava – accompanied by her daughter Hephzibah – have visited schools across the UK and Germany to talk to young people of all backgrounds about ‘Surviving the Holocaust’.
Zahava passed away in July 2022. Her presentations left a lasting impact. In the words of one teacher:
“Thank you both for such an uplifting, extraordinary and inspiring lecture – full of hope, forgiveness, and looking ahead – living life without regrets – a phenomenal message for all future generations.”
Zahava’s story has been featured in many news articles, various online exhibitions and in numerous interviews over the years.
Zahava received much recognition for her work over the years and in October 2020, she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list for her work in Holocaust education.
Zahava was actively involved in a range of charitable work over the years, supporting the arts and music as well as scientific, educational, and humanitarian causes.