Survivors visit Wembley and meet EPL legends ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

Friday 24 Jan 2025
Dr Martin Stern MBE is accompanied by former England striker Carlton Cole as he walks onto the Wembley pitch. All photos courtesy of Simon Hill and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust

In the lead up to Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, to be observed on Monday 27 January, we welcomed three survivors and three Premier League legends to Wembley Stadium.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we collaborated with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Jewish News and Dangoor Education to bring John Hajdu MBE, Joan Salter MBE and Dr Martin Stern MBE to the national stadium.

The trio were able to visit the England home dressing room and walk out onto the famous Wembley pitch via the players’ tunnel, before meeting three Premier League club legends in Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Glenn Murray (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Carlton Cole (West Ham United) and young fans aged between 14-18 to speak about their experiences during the Holocaust.

Ledley King speaks to John Hajdu MBE at Wembley Stadium

And this initiative, which aims to harness the power of football and inspire communities to confront the growing threats of antisemitism and other forms of hate, saw further football-related trips for the survivors, also including Alfred Garwood MBE and Janine Webber MBE.

They visited Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, where club legends Per Mertesacker (Arsenal) and Katie Chapman (Chelsea) along with more young supporters were able to meet and speak to the survivors, in a project initiated by the Jewish News and produced in collaboration with social media agency, 8Original

Recognising that this may be one of the last major anniversaries where survivors can share their stories firsthand, the project uses the unifying power of the sport to bring together generations and learn about the past so that their stories can be remembered. Young people associated with each club took part in the interviews so that the message and experience of the survivors can be passed down.

Wembley Stadium then hosted Brent Council's Holocaust Memorial Day event on Thursday 23 January, which was held in association with the FA and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. At the event, another survivor, Dr Agnes Kaposi spoke in a moving ceremony in the venue's Wembley Suite. 

Katie Chapman and Janine Webber met at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge

Dal Singh Darroch, our head of diversity and inclusion, said: “Eighty years have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz but marking Holocaust Memorial Day is as critical today as ever.

“After a year of record levels of hate against British Jews, this annual day reminds us of where hate can lead and the need to combat antisemitism and all forms of prejudice.

“The FA will always play its part in that fight, so we appreciated the opportunity to mark HMD with the Jewish News and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust through a project set to reach millions.”


Alfred Garwood MBE visited Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, where he was met by Per Mertesacker and a young fan

This year’s HMD theme, For a Better Future, is about learning from and about the past, and taking action to make a better future for all. This includes speaking up against Holocaust denial, distortion and inversion, as well as challenging prejudice, and encouraging others to learn about the Holocaust and more recent genocides.

Chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Olivia Marks-Woldman, added: “Football is a universal language of unity and friendship, perfectly reflecting the core message of Holocaust Memorial Day.

“We’re deeply grateful to the legends from five Premier League clubs who took the time to speak with survivors and hear their personal testimonies. These icons of the sport understand better than most that the essence of a team lies in its diversity - every member contributing their unique strength toward a shared goal.

Dr Martin Stern MBE with Carlton Cole and a young fan at Wembley Stadium.

“HMD is more than a moment of reflection; it is a call to action. Like in football, we are all called to play our part in championing empathy and understanding. Together, we can create a world where everyone is embraced, respected, and valued, regardless of their beliefs or experiences.”

News editor at Jewish News, Justin Cohen said: “Football's position as the national game brings with it huge power to effect discussion and opinion, particularly among impressionable young people. Uniting that power with another great influencer of our age, social media, will enable this campaign to reach millions globally and to amplify the precious message of survivors of where hate can ultimately lead, 80 years ago but also now. Thank you to all our partners and the Premier League clubs who’ve shown once again they fully understand that with the power to influence comes responsibility.”

By Nicholas Veevers Content Manager - FA Owned Channels