My Voice

This is My voice, My Life recounts the life story of Marianne Phillips, born in 1924 in Berlin.

Growing up happily in a Jewish household, Marianne's life changed drastically with Hitler's rise to power in 1933. After her mother's tragic death in 1936, her father temporarily placed his children in a Jewish orphanage. There, she looked after her brother Herbert, and she also met Harry, her future husband. Marianne vividly recalls the aftermath of Kristallnacht in November 1938. Following a brief family reunion, with the aid of her aunt, she boarded the Kindertransport to England in August 1939, living with the Rutter family in Somerset, where she worked as a domestic worker and nanny.

During the war, Marianne lived in a children's refugee hostel in London. Harry, her future husband, was briefly interned on the Isle of Man before joining the British Army. They married in 1943, settling in Maidenhead. Marianne began a dressmaking business and became deeply involved in Jewish communal life.

After Harry's passing, Marianne relocated to Manchester to be near her children and grandchildren. She dedicated herself to teaching Hebrew, volunteering with The Fed and Manchester Jewish Museum, as well as knitting soft toys for charity. She returned to Berlin to pay tribute to her lost family. Tragically, her father and brother perished at Auschwitz.

Throughout her life, Marianne kept her faith in God and dedication to her community. Her forward-looking perspective on life, generosity, and strength of character shines through her narrative.