A woman who survived Nazi occupation in Germany and France will be visiting Dudley to speak at the town’s annual Holocaust Memorial Service on Friday January 26th.

In October 1938 six Nazis rampaged through Eve Kugler’s family home and later the shop her father owned, destroying many of her families possessions. The family fled the following year and hid in France on a forged visa under Nazi occupation.

Eve will be talking to hundreds of students and Dudley residents about her experiences at the commemoration, organised by Ian Austin MP and Dudley College Students’ Union, which has become a fixture in the town’s calendar. 

The Commemoration is open to all residents in Dudley and will take place between at the Broadway Campus of Dudley College starting at 12:30 on Friday 26^th January 2018. 

The commemoration is organised with the support of the Holocaust Educational Trust. Two students from local schools who visited Auschwitz as part of the trust’s ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme will be taking part in the commemoration. Local religious leaders and the Mayor will also take part.

It will conclude with the ceremonial lighting of the Candle of Remembrance as the Bishop and Mayor of Dudley leads local civic and faith leaders in a one minute silence to honour the victims of the Holocaust. Ian Austin MP said:

“It is very good of Eve to come to Dudley and share her experiences – it is always an honour to hear from those who survived such horrific events. The commemoration is always a very moving and dignified service which as well as honouring those who died, remembers the heroism of local heroes.

“I really hope that as many local people as possible will attend the event during their lunch hour, in between meetings, before going shopping in the town centre or picking the kids up from school.

“The service was really well attended last year and I hope the same can happen this year, it is always a real privilege organising this even in Dudley and something I’m sure residents and students in the audience will never forget.”