Holocaust survivor made MBE says ‘nothing can change’ without psychology

February 19, 2026 - 03:07

Holocaust survivor Lydia Tischler has been formally appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in a ceremony at Windsor Castle. The honour recognises her decades of dedicated service to Holocaust education and her pioneering work in the field of child psychology.

In receiving the award, Tischler, who arrived in Britain on the Kindertransport as a child, delivered a powerful message about the enduring importance of psychological understanding. She emphasised that true societal change is impossible without it, stating, "Nothing can change without psychology."

Her remarkable career, which includes co-founding the child psychology programme at the University of Roehampton, has been deeply informed by her own early trauma. She has long championed the need to address the psychological roots of prejudice and hatred, arguing that education must go beyond historical facts to explore the mental processes that lead to discrimination and violence.

The castle ceremony marks a poignant recognition of a lifetime spent turning profound personal loss into a force for healing and learning. Tischler’s work continues to underscore the critical need for psychological insight in building a more tolerant and compassionate world, ensuring that lessons from history are understood at the deepest human level.