a tribute to Neil Adams – a journey through history

Last week we heard the incredibly sad news that our valued volunteer Neil Adams had sadly passed away on June 4th. This article is our tribute to Neil.

By Debra Brunner

It was December 2020 when Neil Adams first contacted The Together Plan.

Our book We Remember Lest the World Forget: Memories of the Minsk Ghetto had been gifted to Neil, and he took it upon himself to reach out. We were delighted to receive his email and to make his acquaintance. I responded immediately, and from our very first exchange his deep fascination with the history of the former Soviet Union was unmistakable.

In Neil’s own words:

“My interest in places that formed part of the Soviet Union was ignited when I had the opportunity to work in the Baltic States in the mid-1990s as a consultant on strategic and urban planning projects during their journey towards accession to the European Union. The first thing I realised was how little I knew about this part of the world, which had been hidden from Western eyes behind the Iron Curtain for fifty years.

Numerous projects followed in the Baltic States, as well as in countries such as Poland and Slovakia, and my interest gradually expanded towards that mysterious place called Belarus. My collection of books and maps about the region’s history grew rapidly, and I came to realise how little we in the West understand about the slaughter and suffering that occurred during the Great Patriotic War and the Holocaust in this part of the world.”

At the time we first met, Neil was a Senior Lecturer in Spatial Planning and Course Director of Urban & Environmental Planning. Alongside his academic career, he devoted himself to another passion: rescuing cats.

Not just any cats — the most challenging ones. The cats that others had given up on. Even those the RSPCA struggled to place. Neil loved them unconditionally. He worked tirelessly to find them safe homes, often on farms where they could live freely while providing a valuable service by keeping rodent populations under control.

Neil and I continued to correspond by email, and his enthusiasm for our work was evident from the outset. He was captivated by our efforts to preserve Jewish heritage and support communities in Belarus. His own journey into this history began when, while volunteering for the Chernobyl Children’s Project (UK), he stumbled upon the story of the Jews of Rechitsa. Until then, he had not fully grasped the scale of the Holocaust in the East. Once he began to uncover those stories, there was no turning back.

In February 2021, I asked Neil if he would write an article for The Together Plan about his discovery of Jewish Rechitsa. He was delighted to be asked.

That article marked the beginning of a remarkable contribution that would continue for years.

Neil proceeded to write a review about our book ‘We Remember Lest the World Forget: Memories of the Minsk Ghetto’ aptly titled: ‘Human Stories of Suffering Almost Lost to History’

“There is an insufficient number of appropriate adjectives to fully explain the harrowing, chilling, disturbing, heart-breaking and terrifying nature of this book, although in parts it is also inspiring, uplifting and moving. The emotions generated by reading this book are complex and deeply moving. The holocaust and suffering of the Jews in the ghetto’s and death camps in the territories of occupied Poland and the Baltic states have received considerable attention in published works in the English language, particularly in recent decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the state socialist block in Central and Eastern Europe, which has seen many of these states reorientate themselves westwards and become integrated into western political and institutional systems.

The catastrophic carnage faced by the population of Belarus generally and the Jews in Belarus, in particular, has received much less attention, partly due to the fact that the country has remained relatively closed and isolated from Western influence and as a result, is still shrouded in mystery for many Western audiences.”

Neil and I continued the dialogue. He would attend our online events when time allowed him to and he was an active supporter of the charity. Then in early 2025, he told me that he had taken retirement and was wondering if he might be able to get involved as a volunteer. I was delighted and we invited him on board to help with fundraising research and to write articles. Neil joined The Together Plan officially in the role of ‘Fundraising and Education Research Coordinator’.

In June 2025, Neil came to London to observe our Making History Together education programme for 12-13 year olds. A character development programme through the lens of hidden history. Neil was taken aback by the programme, the fact that it was a journey of discovery to discover what happened in the Soviet Union, and was enthralled about the way it was delivered. He helped to capture feedback from the students in the final focus group and produced a superb report for us. His presence, input and personal reflections were greatly appreciated.

Later that month, Neil participated in our fundraising marathon walking challenge. As some of us walked a full marathon (26.2 miles) through the streets of London, others in Greece and in Philadelphia, Neil walked through Manchester — but he chose to make his challenge a walk of discovery and in fact he clocked up 27.73 miles and raised an amazing £850 (take a look here):

“In June 2025 volunteers and supporters of the Together Plan embarked on a Walkathon to raise money to complete the historically important Brest-Litovsk Memorial Project, the first of its kind in Belarus. As the Together Plan has volunteers and supporters all over the world, people walked wherever they are located and chose the distance that they wanted to walk, so people in a range of countries including UK, Belarus, USA and Greece participated. 

Through my own research and my work with the Together Plan I realised that I knew a fair bit about Holocaust history and Jewish heritage in Belarus, the Baltic states and Poland but virtually nothing about this history and heritage where I live in Greater Manchester. So, to try to start to fill this gap in my knowledge I designed my walking route to explore various Jewish sites around Manchester. The focus of the Together Plan on Belarus is not as distant to the Jewish communities of Greater Manchester as it may initially seem. As Belarus was at the heart of the Pale of Settlement and following the various mass migrations and the atrocities of the Holocaust, countless members of the Jewish diaspora (including those in Greater Manchester) can trace their heritage back to Belarus.”

To read the whole article and follow Neil’s route — click here.

A part of Neil’s role at The Together Plan was to strengthen our network in the North of England with individuals and organisations with whom we share interests and with whom we have a similar ethos and approach. So in July 2025, Neil set out to build links with the Holocaust Centre North:

“I did not really know a lot about the Holocaust Centre North (HCN),  based at the University of Huddersfield, apart from the fact that they existed and primarily focused on Jewish refugees who fled antisemitism in Central Europe on the eve of the Holocaust to settle in the beautiful County of Yorkshire. It must have been a bit of a culture shock to say the least! I live in Wigan on the right side of the Pennines and even I find Yorkshire a little strange so it must have been something of a culture shock to refugees arriving from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, some via the Kindertransport operation whereby approximately 10,000 Jewish children came to Great Britain mainly in 1938-1939.”

Click here to read Neil’s article.

In July 2025, Neil travelled with me to Belarus. Together we flew to Vilnius and from there we took the bus across the border to Belarus. Here he met with our amazing team at the Minsk Jewish Heritage Centre located in a wing of the Dauman Street Synagogue. Neil was so excited to be back in Belarus but even more excited to be part of something deeply meaningful. From Minsk we travelled to Novogrudok for a historic symposium. Neil’s job was to observe and write an article:

“Following the signing of a landmark agreement, on July 10th, to establish the Belarusian Museum of the Holocaust and Resistance in the historic town of Novogrudok the International Symposium ‘Belarusian Holocaust and Resistance Museum in Novogrudok’ took place on July 25th. The event was organised by the Jewish Religious Union in the Republic in Belarus, Together Plan’s official partner in Belarus and took place at the offices of the Municipality in Novogrudok.”

Click here to read the article.

From there we returned to Minsk and then headed south for the official  opening of ‘Memory Embrace’ — a newly built memorial on the territory of the Jewish cemetery in Brest. This was the culmination of a 12 year campaign by The Together Plan. The day before the opening — the Belarus team, myself and Neil and local volunteers worked from the early hours to late into the night working on the final preparations for the opening. The weather was not with us as we all worked in torrential rain. Neil was unrelenting. He was filled with a real sense of purpose and there was no stopping him. He was so proud to be a part of this historic moment and we were proud to have him in our team. Click here to find out more.

In Brest we were joined by a group from the UK and one American all who had made the trip specially for the opening. For a few special days – we became a very close group, and Neil loved being a part of it. Every one of us had a special love for Belarus in some way and we all found a deep connection to the place and to one another. I know that these days were precious and for Neil they meant the world. Click here to read about the official opening of the memorial.

Earlier in the year, Neil had taken his brother on a trip to Lithuania. It meant a lot to him to make this trip and to share his knowledge. He asked me if he could write an article about it for The Together Plan and of course I agreed:

“I have visited Vilna many times over the years, but I am always glad to return. So, when my brother — a keen supporter of Parkrun (the free, weekly 5km community running event held in cities worldwide) — told me that a new Parkrun had started in Vingis Park and asked if I’d like to join, I didn’t need to be asked twice.

It wasn’t the run itself that drew me, but rather the chance to revisit one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Vilnius enchants with its baroque architecture and medieval Old Town, yet for me the real pull lies beyond its aesthetic charm. What fascinates me most is its layered, complex history — and in particular, the story of its Jewish heritage and the Holocaust.”

Click here to read the article.

In February 2026, Neil wrote a compelling article about Alexander ‘Sasha’ Pechersky:

“The wartime exploits of Alexander ‘Sasha’ Pechersky and particularly the story of the Sobibor Uprising are amongst the most incredible stories of the Great Patriotic War. The oddities of the Soviet regime and system prevented Alexander receiving the credit he deserved during his lifetime as well as denying him the opportunity to present his valuable testimonies against perpetrators in trials outside the Soviet Union. The refusal to allow him to attend the opening ceremony of the Memorial at the site in 1965 seems to be particularly tragic. 

Although the story of Alexander’s extraordinary life begins and ends in Rosov-on-Don in southern Russia, the majority of his wartime story is situated in Belarus, both his time in camps in and around Minsk before being transported to Sobibor and his exploits with Jewish and Soviet partisans in the forests of Belarus after the Uprising. Further evidence if it were needed that whatever Holocaust related events we examine, especially the Holocaust in the East, Belarus plays a key role and lies at the epicentre of the Holocaust.”

Click here to read the full article.

In March 2026, Neil did a write up on an online event that he attended. He gave it the title ‘Identity and Destiny – One Rabbi’s Path’. It was the last article Neil would write for The Together Plan:

“On 10th March 2026 the Together Plan broke new ground yet again with a truly international hybrid discussion with a prestigious guest speaker in the USA, a live audience at the Minsk Jewish Heritage Centre and a Zoom audience from all over the world! The guest speaker was Rabbi Howard Shub-Hillel Meyer ben Ya’akov v’Bayle, a first-generation Canadian Jew, now based in Florida, with deep Belarusian roots and an incredible life story.  The event was bilingual in English and Russian in the style of an open conversation rather than a formal lecture and there was plenty of time for questions, answers and discussion. The title and focus of the talk reminded me very much of a wonderful book I have just read ‘Letters to My Father‘ by Kathleen Balgley, a friend of the Together Plan who travelled to Belarus last summer for the opening of ‘Memory Embrace’ the memorial on the territory of the Brest Jewish cemetery. Kathy’s book is an exploration of her Eastern European Jewish identity and what it actually means to be an Eastern European Jew. In very much the same way, this presentation on March 10th, was a journey of heritage and demonstrated the power of connection…

…A truly inspiring talk and discussion led by a truly inspiring man with an incredible story. The talk summed up some of the Together Plan’s key values in terms of connecting people and unleashing these stories, many of which have been hidden for so long. I am personally very much looking forward to more of these fascinating and moving events.”

Neil was happiest when he was either saving cats or travelling through the lands of the former Soviet Union — breathing the air, exploring forgotten places, uncovering hidden stories, eating herring, and somehow squeezing yet another book or artefact into an already overstuffed suitcase on the journey back to Wigan.

He was deeply devoted to The Together Plan’s mission and became a cherished member of our family. His encouragement was constant:

“I support you 100%. I am inspired by your passion. You are an inspiration to me. I am proud to keep the Together Plan flag flying, and I am proud to have you as a friend.”

Those words meant more than he probably realised.

Neil brought curiosity, kindness, humour, intelligence, and unwavering commitment to everything he did. He helped us uncover hidden histories, strengthen connections across borders, and inspire others to learn from the past. More importantly, he was a loyal friend whose enthusiasm was infectious and whose presence enriched every project, every journey, and every conversation.

There will never be another Neil.

We will miss him terribly, but we will carry his memory, his work, and his passion forward.

May his memory be a blessing.