Dr Maxwell's Message



April 2001

Dear Colleagues,

It was a great pleasure to welcome so many of you to Oxford and London for the Conference and Survivors' Gathering last summer. Many of you have since written to me and I am grateful for your thanks, congratulations, comments and constructive criticism. Despite the problems inherent in organising such a vast gathering, participants felt that it was a memorable and inspiring meeting, where new challenges were posed, new directions given and many new friendships made.

As I mentioned in my speech at the end of the Oxford conference, I am very pleased to announce that Remembering for the Future's activities will be continued in the future under the auspices of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre and the directorship of Dr Stephen Smith. Most of you will already be very familiar with Stephen's pioneering and invaluable work for Holocaust education and memorialisation at his moving Holocaust Centre set in the Nottinghamshire countryside. After the conference in 2000, my Trustees and I felt that the time was opportune to hand over the leadership of RFTF, and the torch of scholarship and education, to a younger generation of scholars, who will further the aims and objectives of RFTF in the new millennium.

In this new phase of development, which Stephen will be outlining in detail in the 'About RFTF' section, I am delighted to accept the invitation to remain involved in RFTF in the position of Honorary Chair, and I look forward to remaining in touch with the many colleagues and friends I have made in the course of this work.

I feel confident that this change of leadership will be beneficial to RFTF and will provide an inspiring continuation of the work you have all helped towards over the past fifteen years.

With my warm thanks for your support and encouragement,

Dr Elisabeth Maxwell
Honorary Chairman, RFTF