The Holocaust Educational Trust is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Judith Kerr, eminent author and Holocaust educator.
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said:
“The first book about the Holocaust I ever read was Judith Kerr’s ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’. It left a lasting impression on me as a young child. I have never forgotten the story or the sensitive and insightful way she described the trauma she and her family experienced. Her writings will continue to inspire new generations.
“I feel so lucky to have known and worked with Judith, most recently when she spoke at our Ambassador Conference last year to many hundreds of young people - lucid and wonderful as ever, exuding warmth and a bit of mischief too! What a special lady.
Her family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers.”
Born in Berlin in 1923, Judith escaped from Hitler’s Germany with her parents and brother when she was nine years old. Her father was a drama critic and distinguished writer whose books were burned by the Nazis because he dared to speak out against the regime. The day after the family left Berlin, the authorities came to arrest them, and throughout the war there was a price on her father’s head. Judith and her family passed through Switzerland and France before finally arriving in England in 1936. She was an international best-selling author of a number of children’s books including ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’, ‘The Tiger who Came to Tea’ and the ‘Mog’ cat stories. In 2012 she was honoured with an OBE for her services to children's literature and Holocaust education.
