Founder & Chief Educational Consultant
Antony Lishak
Learning from the Righteous, which gained charitable status in February 2017, is led by author and educationalist, Antony Lishak.
His career-long involvement in the field of Holocaust Education has been defined by the conviction that considering the stark choices made by rescuers and resisters during The Holocaust encourages us to reflect upon on own place in world.
Joint Honorary Presidents
Karen Mantell
Karen Mantell is the daughter of Holocaust Survivor Lili Pohlmann, (both left) who was honorary president of the charity until she passed away in 2021. We are delighted that Karen has agreed to represent us. Her mother, Lili is remembered fondly by all who met her.
She was born in Lvov in 1930 and was brought up, with her brother Uriel, in Krakow by her parents Cecylia and Filip Stern. Lili’s family suffered terribly at the hands of the Nazis in the Lvov Ghetto and owes her survival to two courageous non-Jews, a German civilian who was attached to the Nazi occupying forces in Lvov, Irmgard Wieth, and the Greek Catholic Archbishop of the city, Andrey Sheptytsky. She and her mother were the only survivors of an extended family of more than 300. Lili was a passionate humanitarian who dedicated herself to educating people about The Holocaust and building bridges between communities.
Lili was a lifelong advocate of the power of education and we are proud that her name will be forever associated with our charity.
Lord Eric Pickles
Lord Eric Pickles, Kt PC, was MP for Brentwood and Ongar for 25 years. He was appointed United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues in 2015 and, alongside Ed Balls, is currently co-chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.
“I am delighted to support Learning from the Righteous. Since its inception in 2015 it has been my pleasure to witness the sensitivity and rigour of their approach and to see first-hand the profound effect their workshops have had on those who take part. Learning about acts of rescue and resistance within their broader historical context encourages us to consider the courageous few who chose not to be bystanders and to see themselves as agents of change. The deeds of rescuers should be a source of inspiration for us all. Few people are called upon to put their lives on the line and face the dilemma of whether or not to act, under challenging circumstances. Learning the lessons of such role models of humanity and altruism helps bring the age-old plea of ‘never again’ a little bit closer.”