In chilly weather, we give a warm welcome to a new addition to our museum collections: a stunning, 65-ft high, hand painted mural, created by renowned street artist Solomon Souza. It commemorates the murder of Jewish footballers who, despite playing for successful teams in the interwar years, were murdered in the Nazi death camps. 

The mural has been donated to us by Chelsea Football Club, for whom it was originally commissioned. For three years, it has been on  prominent display at Stamford Bridge stadium, as part of Chelsea's high-profile campaign to educate against anti-Jewish racism.

Pictured here is a replica of the mural on the side of our Museum farmhouse containing 'The Journey' exhibition. It will feature alongside other works of art in our collection in new education programmes which we are currently developing.

For now, we have put the massive original safely into storage. Perhaps when the weather improves, we can bring it back out!

On receiving the mural, Marc Cave, Director of the National Holocaust Centre and Museum, said: "We're honoured that the original mural has been donated to us. Football is a great leveller. We use it to educate about identity and belonging. To educate that you can be both British and Jewish, British and Black, British and Muslim, etcetera. 

Building on previous work with Chelsea FC, and our globally watched Holocaust Memorial Day football video starring big names from Chelsea and 13 other Premier League clubs, we’ll be incorporating the mural into our ongoing learning programme."

Read the full story on Chelsea Football Club's website.

The original mural as displayed at Chelsea FC: