Shoah survivor and educator to receive honorary doctorate
Bratislava-born Iby Knill will get her qualification 70-years after coming to Britain to make it her home
A Holocaust survivor-turned educator living in Leeds is to receive an honorary doctorate from a British university, 70 years after she made Britain her home.
Iby Knill, who was born in Bratislava in 1923, is to receive the honourary award from the University of Huddersfield in November, 13 years after she made the decision to reveal her story and educate others about the Holocaust.
Iby was forced to flee to Hungary in 1942, where she was imprisoned and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she worked as slave labour in an armament factory. Later, on a forced march to Bergen-Belsen, she was liberated by the American army.
Marrying a British serviceman, she came to England in 1947, teaching and tutoring, then working as a textile designer. It was only in 2003 – at the age of 80 – that she decided to tell her story, which until then had been her secret.
Last year, after a decade in which she has spoken to 26,000 people, released two books and featured in a BBC documentary about her life, she was guest speaker at the university’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
