The Prince and Princess of Wales have expressed their profound sadness following the death of Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg at the age of 99. The royal couple paid a heartfelt tribute to Mr Goldberg, who dedicated his later life to Holocaust education after enduring the horrors of the Stutthof concentration camp.
A Life Dedicated to Remembrance
Manfred Goldberg was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Kassel, Germany, on April 21, 1930. His life was irrevocably changed in 1941 when he was deported with his mother Rosa and brother Herman to the Riga Ghetto. As the Red Army advanced in 1944, he was moved to the Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk and its subcamps.
He endured more than eight months as a slave labourer before being liberated by the British army in May 1945, at just 15 years old. In a poignant move, he came to Britain in September 1946 to reunite with his father, Baruch, who had escaped Germany in 1939 with a visa secured via British diplomat Frank Foley.
After learning English, Mr Goldberg completed an engineering degree and embarked on decades of work, sharing the story of his family and the millions of Jews killed across Europe. He was married with four sons, several grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
Royal Encounters and National Recognition
The Prince and Princess of Wales hailed his 'tireless work' educating young people in an emotional statement. 'We are deeply saddened by the passing of Manfred Goldberg,' they said. 'Having joined him on a visit to Stutthof, we witnessed first-hand his extraordinary strength, grace and dedication to sharing his story. His tireless work to educate young people about the Holocaust will never be forgotten.'
Mr Goldberg's dedication was formally recognised in September when he was awarded an MBE at Clarence House. His commitment to education extended through the Holocaust Educational Trust's programme, Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust, which uses digital eyewitness testimony and virtual reality to ensure his story reaches future generations.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, described Mr Goldberg as 'truly extraordinary'. She stated, 'Manfred's passing leaves an irreplaceable void in our hearts and in our community. Having endured unimaginable horror and loss, he chose to look forward, dedicating his life to ensuring that the atrocities of the Holocaust would never be forgotten.'
A Legacy That Will Endure
In a powerful act of remembrance, Mr Goldberg returned to Germany in 2018 to lay a memorial stone for his brother Herman, who was murdered during the Holocaust. His work with the royal family continued in January 2022, when he met the then Prince of Wales, a patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, after commissioning paintings of elderly Holocaust survivors.
Reflecting on his 2020 meeting with Kate and William, Mr Goldberg recalled how moved the Princess was during their visit to Stutthof. He shared that Kate told him, 'Nevertheless, we were not prepared for what we saw and what we heard from you two.' He noted that for Kate, visualising each symbolic pair of shoes at the Nazi death camp meant one human being who had to walk into the gas chamber, and it 'tugged her heartstrings'.
Mr Goldberg believed the Cambridges' involvement in keeping the story of the Holocaust relevant today was 'priceless'. His incredible testimony, kindness, and gentle guidance will be deeply missed, but his mission to confront antisemitism and educate young people will continue through the powerful legacy he leaves behind.
