Campaigner in call for all Holocaust survivors to be recognised by the Queen
ALL HOLOCAUST survivors in Britain should be recognised by the Queen, a leading campaigner said as seven survivors were honoured in her 2019 birthday honours list.
Walter Kammerling, 95, Ernest Simon, 89, Gabrielle Keenaghan, 92, Ruzena Levy, 89, Ann and Bob Kirk, 90 and 94, and George Hans Vulkan, 89, will all receive British Empire medals for services to Holocaust education.
Holocaust Educational Trust chief executive Karen Pollock said survivors who continue to share their stories are providing a “public service” amid a climate of “rising anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and hate”.
Campaigners against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are also named in light of their work to help improve lives.
Nimco Ali and Dr Leyla Hussein, were both victims of the practice as children, and receive OBEs for services to tackling FGM and gender inequality.
Ms Ali said: “I’m immensely privileged. FGM was a ridiculous thing that happened to me, but I also had access to education, I also had access to freedom that allows me today to sit here and say that I am a survivor of FGM, but also to say I am honoured to receive this on behalf of all of the African women, whose shoulders I sit on to be here today.”
The UK’s top spy chiefs both receive knighthoods, while the man who oversees the security services is given a higher award.
Head of MI5 Andrew Parker is recognised for public service following a 35-year career with the agency during which he led the response to the July 7, 2005 London bombings. According to the official citation, he has overseen the disruption of 27 attack plots since 2013 and led the response to the five terror atrocities in 2017.
Alex Younger, the head of MI6, also receives a knighthood for services to national security.
He has been Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) – a position known as M – since November 2014 after a career of more than 20 years as an MI6 officer.
Sir Michael Burton, head of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal – the body which keeps an eye on the spies – receives an upgrade on his honour, becoming a GBE.
Meanwhile, a renowned scientist who helped deliver the pioneering 100,000 Genomes Project is also listed.
Prof Mark Caulfield, chief scientist and interim chief executive of Genomics England, said he was “deeply honoured” to be awarded a knighthood for his role in the landmark work.
Meanwhile, Prof Peter Donnelly, chief executive of Genomics plc, receives the same award for understanding human genetics in disease, while Prof Kevin Fong, TV presenter and space medicine expert, gets an OBE for contribution to medicine and healthcare.
More than 100,000 complete genetic blueprints have been sequenced from NHS patients as part of the Genomes Project, which launched in 2012 and is being used to bring new diagnoses of rare diseases and help choose cancer therapies.