Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

My talk covers my late father's personal account of the liberation of
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which he published in 2015 (above):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liberating-Belsen-Concentration-Major-General-Nicholas/dp/1511541709/

Church of Scientology London

Lewes Old Grammar School, Lewes

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Lord Finkelstein whose mother was rescued by the British Army at Bergen-Belsen

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Rob Rinder, TV presenter and barrister

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Mala Tribich, Belsen survivor, Queen Camilla, Eva Clarke, Mauthausen survivor 

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Emma Barnett, Radio 4 presenter

Buckswood School, Guestling, East Sussex

HMD Hastings Jewish Community Event, White Rock Theatre, Hastings

Forest Hill School, south London

The Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone

World at One, Radio 4, 27th Jan 2025:
Listen here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EZr4Hsj4EkpxmmQV9

Live interview on Sky News:

Watch here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jhax4iSWfbWi2CPn9

Being the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27th January 2025, this was a very busy time for everyone involved with Holocaust education. And the charity for which I am a speaker, Generation 2 Generation, was no exception. Here are some photos of the talks I've been giving recently. 

Many of the audiences said that the talk helped them realise the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the urgent need for effective human rights education in schools. 

A screening of No Asylum at the GSA in the presence of Anne Frank's stepsister, Eva Schloss

Prof. Sean McNamara, Heather Gorniak, Eva Schloss MBE, Marta Miranda, John Wood. Photo credit: Steve Porter

I was honoured to have been invited to an incredible evening at the Guildford School of Acting (GSA), part of the University of Surrey where I studied in the 1980s for my degree. Firstly, there was the screening of No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank's Story in the presence of the incredible Eva Schloss MBE, Anne Frank's stepsister and Auschwitz survivor, followed by a Q&A that I was asked to be part of, representing my father, Belsen liberator, Leonard Berney, author of Liberating Belsen Concentration Camp - a personal account. who appears in No Asylum together with Eva. This was followed by a performance of The Diary of Anne Frank by GSA students which was so professional and also very moving!

Here is a video of the Q&A

The Q&A after the screening of No Asylum

Me with Rabbi Alex Goldberg, University of Surrey Chaplain

Here is the press release issued by GSA about the event:

Eva Schloss MBE, author and Holocaust Survivor, discusses her experiences on the occasion of GSA’s production of “The Diary of Anne Frank”

On December 13th 2019, GSA had the privilege and honour of welcoming Eva Schloss MBE, author, international speaker and holocaust survivor to the University. GSA held a special screening of “No Asylum”, a documentary about the lately discovered papers that meant researchers could, at last, chronicle the journey of Anne Frank’s family. Eva Schloss is the step-sister of Anne Frank, daughter of Otto Frank who features in the film. Also present was John Wood, the son of Major Leonard Berney, the first British Officer to liberate Bergen-Belsen. John, like Eva, makes it his life’s mission to share these first-hand stories, “Lest We Forget”.

The extraordinary screening and Q&A event in December came about serendipitously following Director Nicholas Scriven’s decision to stage the play “The Diary of Anne Frank” with the BA Actor Musicians. The production was a chance to speak to a new generation about the oppressive nature of discrimination and prejudice. Nicholas Scriven's idea to incorporate original music written by Ilse Weber, Pavel Haas and Gideon Klein, all composers that had died in the Holocaust, was particularly poignant. The combination of elements and the talented cast made for an arresting and powerful piece, clearly appreciated by the audiences who gave standing ovations.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play was originally written by Frank Goodrich and Albert Hackett in 1955. It won the Tony Award for Best Play and was then adapted into the Oscar-Nominated Diary of Anne Frank in 1959 prior to being revised in 1997 by Wendy Kesselman.

The cast of Anne Frank attended the screening of “No Asylum” and actors Marta Miranda and Heather Gorniak, (playing the title role Anne Frank and her sister Margot Frank respectively) joined Eva & John and Head of GSA, Sean McNamara on stage afterwards for the Q&A. Cast and audience were both visibly moved to hear these first-hand personal accounts from this tragic chapter in history and Eva’s clear message of tolerance, compassion and indefatigable hope echoed the chiming words of Anne Frank in that tiny attic all those years ago.

In the audience was University of Surrey’s Rabbi Alex Goldberg, who later tweeted “Attended the final performance of GSA’s The Diary of Anne Frank having met with her step-sister Eva Schloss yesterday. Thanks to Nicholas Scrivens and all that I met in rehearsals whose dedication reminded me of Anne’s words “I believe that people are good at heart”." Even now cases of anti-Semitism still regularly feature in the news. In the Q&A that followed the screening, Eva talked about examples of genocide and persecution in the world today and the ever-important relevance of retelling this story and learning from our mistakes.

Photo credit: Steve Porter

Nicholas Scrivens, Programme Leader at GSA, said: “Sadly, Anne Frank’s story is as relevant today as ever, with anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice still rotting society. Its messages, communicated in such a poignant way by GSA’s actor-musicians, need to be heard.”

“One of the things that struck me was that the diary acts as a kind of "window" through which we can begin to approach the Holocaust… when one has knowledge and understanding of what has been before it there is a greater sense of need and obligation to share the story from generation to generation.”

Photo credit: Steve Porter

“Music is an intrinsic part of theatrical storytelling and on the Actor Musician course we integrate music to further the narrative. Rather than simply "scoring" for this project, it was an opportunity to re-visit the work of artists murdered in The Holocaust. The tragic element is that all of these voices were silenced by 1945. But the joy and power of theatre is that a new generation can re-tell their work to the world. We have to remember that the Nazi's aim was not just to eradicate all of the Jews in Europe but to eradicate a culture, its music and its language. Therefore, each performance using their music, words and themes are a defiance and a way of saying - you failed and you will always fail as long as people have empathy and tell the stories and sing these songs.”

“I have never worked with a company of students so dedicated or committed to the telling of one story. In their own time and together as an ensemble they visited the Imperial War Museum, The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, some journeying on to visit Auschwitz. Their research informing every choice and every moment of the play.”

The BA (Hons) Actor Musician programme is a relatively new GSA course, taught by industry-leading professionals, that develops the actor-musician’s skills to be able to take advantage of the ever-growing demand for versatile professional performers who can combine superb acting ability with a high standard of musicianship.

Preview of "Night Will Fall"

Yesterday, I was invited to a preview (the first-ever public screening) of the feature-length documentary "Night Will Fall" at the BFI Southbank. The audience comprised those involved with the making of the film. My father, Leonard Berney, appears on screen many times, giving his account of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen.

The film is really quite harrowing and it doesn't pull any punches at all. It gets across in graphic detail what it was like to witness the horrors at the aftermath of the Nazi concentration camps, close up. Just watching it on film was difficult enough, so to have actually been there; to have seen it and smelled it first hand is an experience that is difficult to imagine. 

When the credits had finished rolling and the lights had faded up, the audience were in stunned silence.

Night Will Fall (2014)
Feature Length Documentary
Synopsis
In the spring of 1945, Allied forces liberating Europe found evidence of atrocities which have tortured the world’s conscience ever since. As the troops entered the German concentration camps, they made a systematic film record of what they saw. Work began on a documentary to show the horror they witnessed to the German population.

Sidney Bernstein, chief of the Psychological Warfare Film Section of SHAEF commissioned the film. Those involved in the production included Alfred Hitchcock and renowned editor Stewart McAllister; they produced perhaps the most remarkable testament of the 20th Century. “No German can say he didn’t know” insists the commentary, co-written by Richard Crossman, the future cabinet minister.

These sentiments were judged by the British Government to be unsuitable to the bridge-building mood towards Germany. The film was never shown.

40 years later an American researcher found a rusty can marked “F3080” in the vaults of London’s Imperial War Museum. It was in very poor condition and the last roll was missing, but in 1985 a scratched and blurry copy was shown on PBS in America. Now after three years of work by Dr Toby Haggith of the IWM, the entire film has been fully restored and piece by piece, frame by frame, the lost last reel has been put together from the original shot lists. For the first time in history the completed “F3080” is ready to be shown.

Spring Films is co-producing with Angel TV a 90 minute documentary for theatrical and television release. This documentary, ‘Night Will Fall’ is to coincide with the release of the remastered original film and will tell the remarkable story behind the making of the film, the people involved and the reasons why it was never shown.

Team Credits
Director: André Singer
Directorial Advisor: Stephen Frears
Executive Producer: Richard Melman
Producer: Sally Angel

Partners
Angel TV
Cinephil

Libya and the U.N. Resolution No. 1973

Libya
image: yourchildlearns.com

As I See It………

by L. Berney

THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER states:

Chapter I - Purposes and Principles

Article 1

The Purposes of the United Nations are:

To maintain international peace and security among nations, . . .
2. To develop friendly relations among nations . . .
3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems. . .
4. To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations . . .

Article 2

7. Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state . . .

Chapter VII - Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace and Acts of Aggression

Article 42

Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 (Economic measures) would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations.

Article 43

1. All Members of the United Nations, in order to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, undertake to make available to the Security Council, on its call and in accordance with a special agreement or agreements, armed forces, assistance, and facilities, including rites of passage, necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security.

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Extracts from the Declaration on Rights and Duties of States

Article 1

Every State has the right to independence and hence to exercise freely, without dictation by any other State, all its legal powers, including the choice of its own form of government.

Article 2

Every State has the right to exercise jurisdiction over its territory and over all persons and things therein, subject to the immunities recognized by international law.

Article 3

Every State has the duty to refrain from intervention in the internal or external affairs of any other State.

Article 9

Every State has the duty to refrain from resorting to war as an instrument of national policy, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another State, or in any other manner inconsistent with international law and order.


NEVERTHELESS, AND IN SPITE OF THE WORDING ABOVE, THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTED RESOLUTION Nº 1973

Security Council Resolution Nº 1973 on the situation in Libya, is a measure that was adopted on 17 March 2011 based, it claims, on Chapter VII of the UN Charter (See Articles 42 and 43 above). The resolution was proposed by France, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom.

Ten Security Council members voted in the affirmative (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Gabon, Lebanon, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, and permanent members France, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Five (Brazil, Germany, and India, and permanent members China and Russia) abstained, with none opposed.

The resolution demands "an immediate ceasefire" and authorizes the international community to establish a “no-fly zone” over Libya and to use “all means necessary” short of foreign occupation to protect civilians.

MY PERSONAL CONCLUSION

From the extracts quoted above, it is clear that the function of the United Nations is to deal with international problems between nations, not to intervene in problems of civil unrest and revolutions within nations.

It is apparent to me that under the provisions of the Charter. . .

• the State of Libya has NOT requested the U.N. to intervene.

• the State of Libya HAS THE RIGHT to exercise jurisdiction over its own territory

• the situation there IS essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of the State of Libya.

• it IS within the people of Libya’s right to choose their own form of government

And that, again under the provisions of the Charter, the situation within Libya . . .

• is NOT a threat to international peace and security among nations.

• does NOT give other states the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of Libya.

• does NOT give the right of any state to threaten or to use force against Libya’s territorial integrity or political independence.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation there, the UN Charter does NOT give the UN the right to resort to war against Libya.

Resolution Nº 1973 contravenes the UN Charter.

L.Berney

March 2011

Awesome sites digest

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Using Twitter as I do, and just generally being exposed to all sorts of sites in all sorts of places, I come across some really good ones from time to time, so here are a few I that come to mind:

• 2shared.com

This site allows you to quickly share a file with others by simply uploading it to the 2shared site. The browse box is right on their home page. Once the upload is complete, it returns a live link which you can send to others so they can download the file. Not sure how this compares to usendit, but best of all - 2shared requires no login!

• hootsuite.com

This twitter service is ideal for those with multiple Twitter accounts. The latest v2.0 which was released just the other day is superb. It gives the advanced Twitter user exactly what they want, all in the right places. I wish the "Show more" link showed more than it did (past tweets) and Hootsuite don't seem to be too hot in the support department. Ostensibly, they provide support via getsatisfaction.com but I have 3 outstanding queries - the first being 3 days old - and am still awaiting a response.

• JK Wedding and JK Divorce videos

So much has been said about these already - suffice it to say, they are both brilliant. I found the wedding video quite moving because of the vast amounts of happiness that excuded from my screen when I watched it, and the divorce version was very cleverly done and very funny. Here's a recreated added bonus.

• Moving image version of Google Street View-style 360 degree image

This one I find difficult to grasp! A still 360 degree photo I can just about understand, but how do you take a 360 degree video and then allow the viewer to wander around anywhere (up, down, left, right) while the video is playing? Knot together several videos all taken simultaneously whilst pointing in different directions? Well I couldn't see the join, could you?

• Brownbook.net

For small to medium sized companies, serious about getting more online exposure, adding themselves to Brownbook.net, the free global business directory anyone can edit, is a must. Fields supplied include: web, blog, Twitter, VoIP and IM. It's also possible to add your QR code as well as your Google Street View link plus widgets and it includes bidgets (for export to other sites). Brownbook.net has to be the coolest business directory ever!

• humanrights.com

Do you know your rights? This beautiful site is packed with data - pretty much everything there is to know about your rights, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - and it includes a PSA for each right given in the UDHR, plus a documentary on the history of the subject. Join the campaign to prevent human rights violations in those countries where the UDHR is not being adhered to.