From 2 to 31 July 2026, Between Life and Death: Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust will be on display at Swiss Cottage Library in the London Borough of Camden. The exhibition is presented by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) in cooperation with Camden Council.
The exhibition pays tribute to those who chose to help persecuted Jews during the Second World War despite the threat of imprisonment, deportation or death. Through stories of rescuers and survivors from fifteen European countries, it explores the difficult choices people faced under extreme circumstances and highlights acts of courage, solidarity and humanity.
“Between Life and Death is an exhibition that feels remarkably contemporary despite focusing on historical events,” says Agnieszka Mazur-Olczak, coordinator of the project. “It reveals both the light and the dark sides of humanity through stories of people who found themselves in extreme situations. What is most important to me is that, wherever the exhibition travels, visitors tell us that despite recounting difficult wartime experiences, it ultimately leaves them with a sense of hope.”
Among the stories presented are two connected to the United Kingdom: that of Eva Paddock (née Fleischmannová), who arrived in Britain from Czechoslovakia on a Kindertransport organised by Sir Nicholas Winton, and that of sisters Ida and Louise Cook. The Cook sisters secretly helped Jewish refugees by transporting their valuables across borders and supporting them as they rebuilt their lives in Britain. They were recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1964.
The Camden presentation coincides with the borough's libraries having been recognised as Libraries of Sanctuary, a national award celebrating libraries that go above and beyond to welcome refugees, people seeking asylum and others new to the United Kingdom.
“Camden is and always will be no place for hate. We stand together against antisemitism with all our Jewish residents, and with all our residents in rejecting discrimination and division,” said Councillor Sabrina Francis, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture.
Created by ENRS in cooperation with the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and the Silent Heroes Memorial Centre in Berlin, the exhibition was first presented at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels in 2018. Earlier this year, it was displayed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Swiss Cottage Library
88 Avenue Road, London NW3 3HA
2-31 July 2026
Admission is free.
Photo: Camden Lock by Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons