In this episode, featuring Michael Attenborough CBE, we learn about the Attenborough family’s connection to the Holocaust. The Attenborough’s fostered two sisters, Irene and Helga Berjach, who came to the UK from Nazi Germany via the Kindertransport. They were welcomed into the family and lovingly cared for - the Attenborough boys (Richard, John and David) referred to them as their “little sisters.”

The object featured in this episode is a brochure from a production of A Chorus Line - from a reunion which took place years later, and which brought back memories of the family’s time together during the Second World War, when Helga and Irene were far from home.

Clip from Helga Waldman, © 2025 USC Shoah Foundation.

Objects of the Holocaust is brought to you by the Holocaust Educational Trust, a charity that works to ensure that people from every background are educated about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today.

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Presenters: Professor Tim Cole, Louisa Clein

Producer: Sarah Peters, Tuning Fork Productions https://tuningforkproductions.com/

Sound Designer: Peregrine Andrews www.moving-air.com

Composer: Iain Chambers https://www.iainchambers.com/