Women of Courage: Stories of Jewish Women Fleeing Nazi Persecution

Women of Courage: Stories of Jewish Women Fleeing Nazi Persecution

For Refugee Week 2026, focusing on the theme of courage, we remember the extraordinary strength shown by women forced to flee war and persecution. Meet our curators Claudia Reese and Diana Popescu, and our guest speakers from Nottingham City Council and the Nottingham women’s networks working with refugee groups based in Nottingham, for a Friday afternoon of stories. Learn about the dangers Jewish women faced not only as targets of antisemitic laws and violence, but also as mothers, daughters, and caregivers carrying responsibility for others.

Listen to a short talk based on the story of Julie Weiss, who fled as a young pregnant woman from Austria, followed by the opportunity to visit our new “Journey Exhibition” looking together at her unique and precious artefacts on display. Hear our guest speakers share what it means to be a woman refugee today, the challenges women face, and the support they receive when they arrive in the UK. There will also be a unique opportunity to hear first-hand accounts directly from refugee women themselves. For women refugees, courage meant making impossible choices — seeking visas in a world of closed borders, navigating complex bureaucracy, securing affidavits, or arranging escape routes. Others made the heartbreaking decision to send their children to safety alone. In exile, courage continued. Women rebuilt lives in new countries while coping with loss, trauma, and uncertainty. They learned new languages, found work, supported families, and preserved cultural and religious traditions. This Refugee Week, the courage of women refugees fleeing persecution reminds us that bravery is not always loud or visible. Often, it is found in endurance, in care, in survival — and in the determination to build a future after unimaginable loss.

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