The School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion would like to congratulate Kitty Hart-Moxon on being awarded an honorary degree by the University of Birmingham in this summer’s graduation ceremonies, where her speech was very warmly received by those present.
Kitty is a Polish-English Holocaust survivor who was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 16. Shortly after her liberation in April 1945, she emigrated to Birmingham, where she worked for 50 years as a Radiographer and dedicated her life to raising awareness of the Holocaust. She has written two autobiographies entitled I am Alive and Return to Auschwitz, and is also very active as a Trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust, regularly speaking to sixth formers participating in the Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz programme. In 2003, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services relating to Holocaust education. We were delighted that Kitty was honoured, as she has been a great supporter of the work the Department of Theology and Religion does in Holocaust studies.
For many years, Kitty has come to the Department to speak to first year undergraduates taking the module Introduction to the Study of the Holocaust, a lecture that is a regularly considered the highpoint of the module, and has inspired many present to write essays on her experiences in Auschwitz, her memoir and the documentary Kitty: Return to Auschwitz (1979). Kitty has also been happy to help students who have gone on to write undergraduate or postgraduate dissertations or theses in the area. We are delighted that Kitty and her family had a thoroughly enjoyable visit to Birmingham for the graduation ceremony in July, and we appreciate her taking the time during the day to met and speak with some of our students.
Kitty delivering her Honorary Graduand speech at the 2013 degree congregation.