Marina Smith
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| Marina Smith MBE D.Litt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marina Fleming 16th November 1934 Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| 💀Died | 26th June 2022 Nottinghamshire, England26th June 2022 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | British |
| 🏫 Education | Certificate in Religious Education from Westminster College, Oxford |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Holocaust Education, Co-founding the UK's National Holocaust Memorial Centre |
| 👶 Children |
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| 👴 👵 Parents |
|
| Honours | MBE |
| 🌐 Website | https://marinahsmithfoundation.org |
| Twitter= | |
Marina Helen Smith MBE D.Litt. (16th November 1934 – 26th June 2022) co-founder of the UK National Holocaust Centre and Museum, was a much-beloved woman with many friends, colleagues, and admirers. Her genuine interest in people and their lives extended across many decades and several continents. Today, the result of that original concept is a globally respected Holocaust centre with a wide-ranging education programme.
Marina sadly passed away in June 2022 after a short illness and an incredible life of service to humanity. Committed to serving, she spent over two decades in daily service as Education Director at the centre, which she co-founded with her sons Dr Stephen D. Smith MBE and Dr James M. Smith CBE.
Her works included the creation of a network of Holocaust Survivor speakers, for whom she organised their daily speaking at the Holocaust centre, providing the narrative of their first-hand experiences to thousands of school children. Realising that reliving their experiences was quite an ordeal, she ensured every speaker was met and welcomed, taking care of each of them personally.
Another of her works was conceptualising the book, Survival: Holocaust Survivors Tell Their Story.
She also ran a series of charitable projects in Poland (1981-83), India (1985-1992) and Kosovo (1999).
Early life[edit]
Marina Helen Smith (née Fleming) was born on the 16th of November 1934 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
She was the daughter of Horace and Ellen Fleming. Marina moved to Dublin, Ireland, with her family when she was 4. She attended Wesley College in Dublin, whose Methodist foundations would set the tone for a life of faith.
Marina moved to England aged 14, and by the age of 18, she had attained her Certificate in Religious Education from Westminster College, Oxford.
Personal life[edit]
Marina became the Head of Religious Education at Spondon Park Grammar School in Derbyshire, where she met her future husband Edward Smith, the then the Minister at Ilkeston Methodist Chapel. They were married in August 1964 and in 1973, moved to Ollerton, a small mining town in rural Nottinghamshire.
In 1976, Marina gave up her teaching role and embraced a full time role as a ministers wife. In 1978, Marina and husband Eddie, took the life changing decision found a small Christian retreat, to serve society in a broader way than in the Church itself. Devout Christians, they took their sons to visit Israel whilst they were in their teens.
A decade later, after her son's made their first trip to Yad Vashem, the family travelled to European Holocaust sites to learn about the Christian world's failings. Soon after, the re-development of their retreat as the UK National Holocaust Centre was conceived, spured on by the need for British society to face the truth of the Holocaust. They decided that they would dedicate the former retreat as a place of memorial and education about the Holocaust.
Death[edit]
Marina Smith died on the 26th June 2022 in North-Nottinghamshire, after a short and unexpected illness. She was surrounded by her family. Marina was survived by her beloved husband of 58 years, Edward, her two sons and seven grandchildren.
Career of service to humanity[edit]
In 1995, after many years of tireless fundraising and hard work, the National Holocaust Centre and Museum (Affectionately known as Beth Shalom - House Of Peace) was born. The centre is the only purpose-built Christian-founded Holocaust Memorial in the UK.
Drawing on decades of teaching experience, Marina created a comprehensive testimony-based education programme. Hugely successful, her work has received thousands of letters of thanks from teachers, parents and pupils.
Marina created a network of survivor speakers, for whom she organised every aspect of their visits to the centre and schools all over the country. Realising that speaking was a painful and often distressing experience, Marina ensured that every survivor was welcomed and taken care of individually. She considered each survivor as an honorary member of her own family, providing hospitality for them in her own home. Through this close relationship, she was able to bring emotional and personal support and a deep understanding of Holocaust survivors as people.
The results were her many close and personal friendships with survivors, who found the experience heart-warming and rewarding.
Over the years, as the family's work spread to other countries torn by genocide, her experience enabled her to support Bosnians, Rwandans, Darfuris and other traumatised survivors.
References[edit]
- ↑ Brown, David (2022-06-27). "Marina Helen Smith - A Life of Service to Humanity". Aegis Trust. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
- ↑ Bloch, Ben (28 June 2022). "Marina Smith, pioneering Holocaust educator dies at 87". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ Frazer, Jenni (27 June 2022). "Tributes to Marina Smith, one of Britain's most respected Holocaust educators". Jewish News. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ↑ Marks-Woldman, Olivia (28 June 2022). "STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF MARINA SMITH". Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ↑ "The National Holocaust Centre and Museum". 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
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