Holocaust Memorial Day: Chelsea’s Academy meets survivor; rescue camp exhibition hosted
From the official Chelsea FC website:
To mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chelsea Football Club and the Chelsea Foundation partnered with the Holocaust Educational Trust to welcome survivor Marcel Ladenheim to our Cobham training ground to meet Academy players. Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, a special exhibition telling the story of the Kitchener Camp rescue was staged.
The Academy players were introduced to Marcel by David Kaye, a member of the Chelsea Jewish Supporters’ Group, who explained the importance of young people learning about the Holocaust.
‘By teaching what happened through Holocaust Memorial Day, it’s saying to people that when you see prejudice towards people who are minorities, don’t stand by, don’t say nothing, because if you don’t say something, the consequences can lead to what happened between 1939 and 1945,’ he said.
Our young players then heard Marcel’s powerful story of how he was one of few lucky children to escape from the persecution by the Nazis.
Marcel, who is 85 years old, is a Holocaust survivor born in Paris to Austrian parents in 1939. His parents fled to Paris in 1938 after the Anschluss, Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria.
His father was arrested in 1941 by the French Police and taken to Auschwitz from where he sadly never returned. Shortly after, Marcel, his brother and mother went into hiding but his mother fell ill and he and his brother were split up and hidden by different families. Marcel was taken in by sisters Olga and Esther Masoli. He spoke fondly of them, remarking that he ‘would not be here now without their bravery’.
Marcel and his brother were reunited with their mother shortly after the end of the war. Unfortunately, she became unable to look after them and they were sent to Manchester where they lived with their aunt.
Speaking after the talk, David Kaye said, ‘It was a pleasure speaking to such an interested and courteous class of young people and to speculate that these potential future stars, who may perhaps become role models to my grandchildren’s children, will take with them the words they heard today.’
At our core, Chelsea FC and Chelsea Foundation support inclusion for all. We openly welcome those from all faiths and backgrounds to our club and we take great pride in serving our diverse and vibrant community.
Aligned with this, a remarkable rescue event and the telling of its story was another centrepiece of the club’s commemoration on Holocaust Memorial Day.
Again in partnership with our Jewish Supporters’ Group, today’s exhibition, detailing the extraordinary Kitchener Camp rescue of 1939, was held in the Tea Bar at Stamford Bridge and was provided by The Wiener Holocaust Library.
During November 1938, up to 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and placed in concentration camps across Germany, where they faced starvation and torture in inhumane conditions. After several months, these men were released on the condition they left Germany immediately, however, there was one issue: no country was willing to provide them refuge. That is, until Jewish aid groups convinced the British government to provide them refuge in a disused World War I base on the coast of Kent.
The Kitchener Camp exhibition documented the rescue of these men with their stories told through original documents and archives. Members of both the Chelsea Jewish Supporters’ Group and the Holocaust Educational Trust were in attendance to discuss the exhibition with visitors.
‘Today was a moving and informative day for Chelsea fans, whilst also providing a great example of the club’s No To Hate campaign, as we look to progress with this important work in the future,’ said Chelsea FC director Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE.
Stephen Nelken, chair of the Jewish Supporters’ Group, added: ‘We are very thankful to Chelsea FC for hosting our Holocaust Memorial Day event Leave to Land: The Kitchener Camp Rescue, provided by the Wiener Library.
‘We are delighted with the turnout from both CFC staff and fans alike, and look forward to building on the great relationship we have fostered into the future.’
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