Belong Morris Feinman and Manchester Jewish Museum pulled together generations to honour ordinary people this Holocaust Memorial Day.
Members of Belong Morris Feinman nursing home in collaboration with Manchester Jewish Museum welcomed young adults to enjoy a special preview of their work exploring ways to commemorate the Holocaust, employing this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme: ordinary people.
The dementia specialist nursing home, caring primarily for the city’s older Jewish community, offered the visiting group of Creative Activists an insight into their creative outputs with the Didsbury care village’s customers. Which included writing poetry, plays, and textile manufacturing. Their creations are set to be showcased in a programme of events and workshops at the Manchester Jewish Museum, aiming to connect the untold stories with local people.
In return, the guests had the chance to meet and greet residents, some of whom Members of Belong Morris Feinman nursing home in collaboration with Manchester Jewish Museum welcomed young adults to enjoy a special preview of their work exploring ways to commemorate the Holocaust, employing this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme: ordinary people.
The dementia specialist nursing home, caring primarily for the city’s older Jewish community, offered the visiting group of Creative Activists an insight into their creative outputs with the Didsbury care village’s customers. Which included writing poetry, plays, and textile manufacturing. Their creations are set to be showcased in a programme of events and workshops at the Manchester Jewish Museum, aiming to connect the untold stories with local people.
In return, the guests had the chance to meet and greet residents, some of whom include Holocaust refugees and survivors, who shared an exhibition in their home’s on-site synagogue documenting their own stories, while honouring the millions of Jews who suffered persecution in the hands of the Nazis.
Aged 16 up to 30 and from a number of different faiths, the Creative Activists joined the project from King David High School and The Manchester College. They worked alongside Manchester artist, Becky Prestwich, putting together the public event, We Remember Them In Verbs, for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023.
Angela Luckett, Religious and Cultural Coordinator at Belong, said: “We’re especially pleased to host our new friends. Our care village foundations were borne out of the Jewish plight, and similar to Manchester Jewish Museum and the Creative Activists, we believe it’s imperative to preserve history for future generations. “It means the world to our customers to see this work happening, as well as being afforded the opportunity to communicate their own experiences with young people. We’ve also been invited to the museum later this month and we’re looking forward to seeing the full exhibition up-close.”
Gemma Meek, Programmes Manager at Manchester Jewish Museum, added: “Our visit to Belong Morris Feinmann was a beautiful experience. Young Creative Activists, Sally and Izzy, shared their work and were met with such kindness and understanding from the residents.
“We feel incredibly honoured to have heard some of the residents’ own experiences, journeys, and memories and we look forward to welcoming the group to Manchester Jewish Museum as part of our newly created friendship with them.”