Lesley Urbach, a prominent human rights advocate and educator, passed away suddenly at age 69. Her life’s work centered on combating prejudice and preserving Holocaust survivor narratives through education and community engagement.
Urbach was born in north-west London to Eva and Arnold Urbach, both Jewish refugees who arrived in Britain in 1938 and 1939 respectively. Eva had escaped Nazi Germany through the Kindertransport, while Arnold later served in the British army and worked as an interpreter during war crimes trials. Urbach’s maternal grandparents perished in Auschwitz, along with millions of others. One of three trunks containing their possessions, which were recovered after the war in 1947, was later donated by Urbach and her brother to the Imperial War Museum’s Holocaust Exhibition.
After studying history at University College London, Urbach worked as a library assistant before spending 25 years as an adviser for the National Careers Service, initially in Bristol and subsequently in London. Following early retirement around 2012, she pursued further education, earning a master’s degree in Jewish history and culture from Southampton University. In 2016, she co-founded Generation 2 Generation, a Holocaust charity designed to empower descendants of survivors to document and present their family histories. As associate director and trustee, she mentored speakers and delivered presentations to schools and community groups, reaching tens of thousands of young people.
Beyond her work with Generation 2 Generation, Urbach was actively involved in refugee advocacy. She co-founded the Remembering Eleanor Rathbone Group in 2015 to promote awareness of Rathbone’s campaigns for women’s and refugees’ rights. She also participated in the JUMP programme, which provides mentoring to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and supported Syrian refugees in Barnet between 2015 and 2020. Urbach was a dedicated member of her faith community, serving both Beit Klal Yisrael and Finchley Progressive Synagogue, and championed the synagogue’s achievement of Sanctuary status earlier this year. She is survived by her brother Peter.
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