New Year’s Honours

Image: HMDT Trustee Michael Marx

We are delighted to announce that the New Year’s Honours List for 2026 recognises our Trustee Michael Marx MBE, Mervyn Kersh BEM, D-Day Veteran and Yisrael Abelesz BEM, Holocaust Survivor, for their commitment to Holocaust education and commemoration. 

Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of HMDT, said: 

“Michael Marx MBE’s profound dedication to our work at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has been invaluable, and he has consistently brought a calm and thoughtful approach to his role. His outstanding contribution to Holocaust commemoration and education has had an extraordinary impact, and we are delighted to see him honoured in this way.” 

 “We are also immensely grateful to Yisrael Abelesz and Mervyn Kersh, who continue to share their life stories with remarkable strength and courage. We are delighted to see their dedication recognised in this way, and we will continue to ensure their testimonies are heard, respected and learned from for generations to come. We would also like to congratulate Ruth-Anne Lenga OBE, who has been honoured for her services to Holocaust Education.” 

 

Sir Sajid Javid, Chair of HMDT, said:

“I warmly congratulate all those recognised for their remarkable commitment to Holocaust education and remembrance. Their efforts, and the work of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust in supporting and amplifying their voices, have never been more important.  

 “As antisemitism and other forms of identity-based hatred continue to rise, our commitment to commemoration and education only strengthens. Thanks to the dedication and contribution of individuals such as Michael Marx MBE, Mervyn Kersh BEM and Yisrael Abelesz BEM, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust continues its vital national role in ensuring that the lessons of the past shape our society for the better.” 

 

Michael Marx MBE, HMDT Trustee, said:

 “I am honoured to receive this recognition. Over the past decades, I have been committed to raising awareness of Holocaust education initiatives and promoting remembrance. Working with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has allowed me to support and amplify the vital work of Holocaust education across the UK.  

“My dear late mother-in-law, Masha, and most of her sisters and brothers were survivors of the Lodz Ghetto, Auschwitz and other concentration and labour camps. It is both a responsibility and a privilege to share their story and help to ensure that future generations understand the lessons of this history.”  

 

Michael Marx MBE. Michael has worked in business and been an active trustee in the charity sector for decades. He is a Governor of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and The Jonathan Levene Music Scholarship, and has held leadership roles at JW3, the London Jewish Cultural Centre and The Separated Child Foundation. While at the London Jewish Cultural Centre, he oversaw Holocaust education initiatives, including the Holocaust Explained website. His mother-in-law Mascha, and several of her family members survived Auschwitz and other concentration and labour camps.  

 Mervyn Kersh BEM. Mervyn joined the British Army at 18 years old and landed on the beaches of Normandy three days after the D-Day invasion. He was then stationed near Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and arrived shortly after it was liberated in April 1945. Mervyn has dedicated much of his life to education and remembrance. He has been actively involved in Holocaust commemoration, sharing his experiences to ensure future generations understand the lessons of history and the importance of combating intolerance and hatred. 

Yisrael Abelesz BEM. Yisrael was just 14 years old when he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most infamous of all Nazi camps. Whilst there, he escaped selection for the gas chambers and survived typhoid and a death march. Yisrael pursued a career in the property sector while actively participating in London’s Golders Green Jewish community. He dedicated himself to the restoration of neglected Jewish cemeteries in Hungary, honouring the memory of those who perished. 

 

Remember the past.  Protect the future. 

Join us on Tuesday 27 January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2026.