In recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, which marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, West Ham United ambassador Carlton Cole and young Hammer Austin met with Dr Martin Stern MBE, a Holocaust survivor, to hear his powerful story.

The meeting, organised in collaboration with the Jewish News, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Dangoor Education, The FA, and five Premier League clubs, aimed to harness football’s influence to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate. This initiative seeks to inspire communities to confront the rising tide of hatred and ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are preserved for future generations.

Representatives from West Ham, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur, including club legends and young fans, participated in similar meetings to hear survivors' experiences and reflect on the Holocaust's enduring impact.

Dr Stern met Cole and Austin at Wembley Stadium, where he recounted his harrowing story of survival, resilience, and the need to stand united against hatred.

“When I was five years old, I was living in Amsterdam and was arrested at school by two young Dutchmen who took me to the headquarters of the Nazi secret police. At the same time, my one-year-old sister was arrested and placed in the same prison camp,” Dr Stern explained.

“For some reason, I was sent to a prison camp north of Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic, where the Nazis kept some Jews alive for propaganda purposes. A woman prisoner took me and my little sister into the women’s dormitories, hiding us from the lists of children being sent to Auschwitz. The train left without us, and I believe we survived because this woman kept us separate from the others.”

He continued: “Later, I was cared for by a young married couple in Amsterdam, just three blocks from where Anne Frank was hiding. If I had been arrested just one and a half years earlier, I would not be here today. That glimmer of hope kept me alive.”

This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day theme, ‘For a Better Future’, urges society to build a world where the dignity of every human being is upheld and where prejudice is never allowed to take root.

Dr Stern reminded Cole and Austin that genocide has occurred in various parts of the world since the Holocaust and emphasised the need for humanity to learn from these atrocities.

“The human race should be ashamed of itself. It must learn the lessons of the Holocaust – not just for the Jewish people, but for everyone,” he said.

West Ham United’s participation in this initiative reflects football’s ability to unite communities and foster understanding, ensuring that the horrors of the past are never forgotten and that future generations continue to stand against hate.