A new international exhibition Between Life and Death: Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust bringing powerful personal stories of courage and moral choice during the Second World War is now open in London.
Between Life and Death Stories of Rescue During the Holocaust will be on from 2nd until 31st July 2026 in the Atrium of Swiss Cottage Library, 88 Avenue Road, London, NW3 3HA.
Presented by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS), based in Poland, the exhibition has been showcased at more than thirty venues across Europe, including the European Commission Headquarters in Brussels. Earlier this year, it was also presented at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The British chapter of the exhibition, which features accounts from fifteen European countries, tells the stories of Eva Paddock, who arrived in Great Britain as a child on one of the Kindertransports organised by Sir Nicholas Winton and Ida and Louise Cook, the London-based sisters who helped Jewish refugees before the war by smuggling money and valuables across borders and supporting them upon arrival in the UK.
Between Life and Death pays tribute to those who, despite the threat of imprisonment, deportation or death, chose to help persecuted Jews during the Second World War. By combining the stories of rescuers and survivors, the exhibition explores acts of moral courage and the complexity of human relationships under extreme wartime conditions, placing each story within its broader historical context.
“Between Life and Death is an exhibition that feels remarkably contemporary despite focusing on historical events. It reveals both the light and the dark sides of humanity through stories of people who found themselves in extreme situations – those struggling to save their own lives and those who chose to risk everything to help others. What is most important to me is that, wherever the exhibition travels, people tell us that although recounting difficult wartime experiences, it ultimately leaves them with a sense of hope,” says Agnieszka Mazur-Olczak, Project Coordinator.
The exhibition is a joint initiative of ENRS, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and the Silent Heroes Memorial Centre in Berlin. Since its premiere at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels in 2018, it has been presented across Europe, Japan and, most recently, at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Since January 2026, the international exhibition Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust has been touring the United Kingdom, bringing powerful personal stories of courage and moral choice during the Second World War to audiences across the country.
Presented by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS), based in Poland, the exhibition’s UK tour began in Southend-on-Sea and has since travelled to Worcester, Redditch, Loughborough, Sutton and Salford. From 2 to 31 July 2026, it will be presented in the London Borough of Camden before moving on to Newark-on-Trent, Huddersfield and the London Borough of Barnet later in 2026.
Visitors to previous UK venues described the exhibition as:
- “Wonderful and horrendous at the same time.”
• “A very interesting and moving exhibition showing the worst and the best of humanity.”
• “This was truly eye opening for me.”
• “Lest we forget the sacrifices made by others.”
Between Life and Death Stories of Rescue During the Holocaust will be on from 2nd – 31st July 2026 in the Atrium of Swiss Cottage Library, 88 Avenue Road, London, NW3 3HA.
Opening times are Monday to Thursday 10am – 8pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am-5pm. Admission is free.
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