Supporting Holocaust Memorial Day in the Classroom with YIVO

Jan. 6, 2026

What is Holocaust Memorial Day?

Holocaust Memorial Day is an annual commemoration day which honors the memory of the six million Jewish people who were murdered during the Nazi persecution. Individuals and communities across the world come together on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau for a day of reflection and remembrance. At its core, the day is a continuous reminder to learn lessons from the past whilst simultaneously recognizing that more work is needed to create a safer future.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust was set up by the UK government in 2005 to lead on the UK’s regional plans. Each year a different theme is chosen to encourage fresh ideas for commemorations and to engage audiences with new insights. The theme for 2026 is ‘Bridging Generations”, a reminder that remembrance doesn’t end with Survivors and that we must continue to actively engage with the past so that what has learnt becomes part of our future.

Teaching about the Holocaust

This Holocaust Memorial Day, we are delighted to have partnered with Yivo to create resources for Years 5 and 6 around their online exhibition “Beba Epstein: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Girl”. Pupils exploring the interactive museum will piece together letters, objects and photos to discover what Beba’s childhood was life, how she survived the war and her post-war move to America to reunite with her family.

The exhibition is split into ten chapters which each relate to a different moment in Beba’s life. Each chapter has a resource on Purple Mash which has been designed to develop pupils research skills, examine historical and contemporary prejudicial attitudes and investigate the danger of stereotypical attitudes towards groups or individuals.

Beba Epstein exhibition image

Join us for a special webinar with the Chief Curator of the Yivo Online Museum and other staff on 8th January to find out more about how the exhibition can be used in the classroom.

Register for the webinar

Activities on Purple Mash

  • Chapter 1 Being a Baby: Pupils are encouraged to think about how they changed as they grow up.
  • Chapter 2 Family History: Interview template for an elder member of the community or family.
  • Chapter 3 Summers: Reflection document about different ways to spend holidays and whether this is important.
  • Chapter 4 Primary School Languages: Investigation about the number of different languages spoken in school or community.
  • Chapter 5 Local Area: Map making exercise of pupil’s local area.
  • Chapter 6 Summer Camps: Poster design for a perfect summer camp.
  • Chapter 7 The World: Letter writing activity reporting an incident when someone was picked on for being different.
  • Chapter 9* Immigration: Pupils consider what they would pack if they were moving to another country and what they would miss the most.
  • Chapter 10 A New Life: Research someone who has immigrated and started life in a new country.

*Please note, no resource has been created for Chapter 8 as it includes content which is not deemed age-appropriate.

Useful Links

We would love to see completed work so please share  on X @PurpleMash, or on Facebook @2SimpleUK using #MashPartner