Barnet member and Holocaust survivor, Mala Tribich MBE spoke to senior ministers at 10 Downing Street this week as part of Holocaust Memorial Day. As the first Holocaust survivor to address the UK cabinet, she delivered a powerful speech urging the government to tackle antisemitism, particularly in light of recent attacks in Sydney and Manchester.
Now 95, Mala was just 14 when she was sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she spent three months before being liberated by British troops in April 1945. Sadly, her mother and eight-year-old sister were murdered by the Nazis, and Mala and her brother Ben were the only members of the family to survive. A proud member of the Barnet community, she was awarded an MBE in 2012 for her services to education and continues to share her testimony working with the Holocaust Education Trust in schools and colleges across the UK
The speech received a standing ovation, with many of the ministers visibly moved by her story, and Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer thanked Mala for her extraordinary courage, reaffirming the government’s commitment to confront antisemitism and Holocaust denial in the UK.
28 January 2026