Tuesday 14 July 2015

Beth Shalom Holocaust Memorial Museum Visit

On Monday, Anna and I were lucky enough to join the year 10 students on a school trip to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Newark-on-Trent. We joined the trip as ambassadors, and utilised this visit to further our knowledge about the Holocaust and to hear from another Holocaust survivor.

Our day began by exploring the beautiful gardens around the Holocaust centre, reading the various plaques for victims throughout the gardens. It was so beautiful to see that the victims were being remembered and honoured at the centre, especially with the named plaques and flowers planted with each one around the area. I also appreciated the chance to remember the victims and acknowledge them through placing a pebble amongst a mound of other pebbles, which offered the opportunity to mourn for the victims in a personal way.

During the visit, we explored an exhibition about the journey of a young Jewish boy on the Kindertransport. This was interesting to hear about as it was from the perspective of children who were able to escape from the horrors of the concentration and death camps and reach safety in Britain.Unfortunately, we were taken around the wrong exhibition, however, we still learnt more about the Holocaust from this exhibition.

At the end of the day, we heard from Ruth David, a Holocaust survivor who came to England in 1939 as part of the Kindertransport. During her time in Germany, her family suffered acts of anti-Semitism, particularly when she was in a car, and was forced to shield herself for protection when the windows were smashed in.  She was also able to tell us in detail how the events of the Night of Broken Glass affected her and her family, as well as the way in which her family was separated as a result of the Holocaust. Three of her siblings had fled to safe countries, such as America, Argentina and England, whilst her other two siblings remained in hiding in France, but her parents had been killed at Auschwitz. For anyone interested in hearing more about Ruth's experiences, she wrote a book called 'A Child of Our Time'.

 Each time I hear from a survivor I am amazed at the courage and attitude of survivors, as they are able to tell others, and keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, despite the horrific memories they have to relive each time they talk about it. It is an honour to hear the witness accounts of the Holocaust, and it is also heart warming to hear that the survivors have been able to rebuild their lives, and have a family, leading a positive life after the suffering they experienced.

Tuesday 7 July 2015

#AmCon2015

So yesterday we both went down to London and spent the day at #AmCon2015. It was a thought provoking day that made us want to commit even more to our work with the Holocaust Educational Trust. We heard from survivors, liberators, historians, specialists and even BBC political editor, Nick Robinson. The day showed us how our work as ambassadors is vitally important not just to the future generation but to those who experienced the horror first hand. As we as ambassadors continue with our work, we encourage others to keep talking about these events. More to follow about the day itself!

Sunday 5 July 2015

The Visit - The Town of Oswiecim

On the 29th April we visited Poland to discover more about the Holocaust and Auschwitz. We visited 3 sites throughout the day; a Jewish cemetery in the town of Oswiecim, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz- Birkenau.

The first site we visited was the town of Oswiecim and a Jewish cemetery within the town itself. Before the war the town had a 58% Jewish population and had a thriving Jewish community.In the Nazi's eyes the town itself was strategically located; close to international borders, close to rail lines that led into major cities such as Warsaw, Berlin and Krakow. In addition to this there were barracks built by the polish army that housed polish army, refugees and migrant workers; these later formed part of Auschwitz I.

During the war, many of the local population was forced out of the town as part of the Nazi's 'resettlement' program. In June 1940, 500 locals were arrested and half were sent to labour camps in Germany. In the war, all of the Jewish population were removed from the town and has not returned.

Since the war, the town has had to deal with the stigma of being associated with the genocide that occurred at Auschwitz and due to dealing with its past and the way of modern living has meant that it is rarely far away from controversy. Moreover despite Jewish survivors returning to the town, no Jewish population has settled there. The last Jewish survivor to stay in the town was Szymon Kluger, who died in 2000. Kluger was buried in the Jewish cemetery which still remains there today.

The cemetery shows how  antisemitism  is still a problem in today's society,Within the cemetery many of the grave stones were vandalized from attacks however attempts have been made to rectify the past and restore the cemetery as a mark of respect and remembrance.

Orientation Seminar-Susan Pollack's testimony


"We cannot undo the past, but we can improve the future."

One of the most significant elements of the Orientation Seminar was the testimony we heard from Susan Pollack. It was so moving and informative to hear a first hand experience of Holocaust, which we felt enabled us to develop a deeper understanding of the Holocaust through the relation of Susan's experience. I am amazed that after all the suffering Susan has been through, she can still revisit that time in her life when speaking to people, like ourselves, about her experience which is an important act of bravery, which has helped us recognise the importance of remembering the Holocaust. 


Her journey to Auschwitz, and her time there was clearly a traumatic and horrifying experience, and it was very upsetting to hear the extent of suffering and dehumanisation which occured to her. It is unberable to think about how she was separated from her family, and suffered in such inhiumane conditions where she felt emotionless. One of the parts of her testimony which has stayed in my mind is about how she felt it was the little acts of kindness following the liberation which brought her emotion and identity back to her, such as family celebrations which helped her to gain recognition of herself. 

Below is an a biography of Susan Pollack from the Holocaust Educational Trust website. 


Susan was born Zsuzsanna Blau on 9th September 1930 in Felsögöd, Hungary. She had one brother, Laci, and

lived with her mother and father. She also had a large extended family who she regularly spent time with.
Susan became aware of antisemitism in her hometown from a young age. In 1938, her uncle was murdered by Fascists. His attacker was sentenced to just two years imprisonment, and served much less time than that. The attacker then returned to live opposite Susan’s widowed aunt. From 1938, Susan’s brother Laci was also affected by antisemitic laws. He had hoped to go and study at university, but a law restricted the number of Jewish students who could enter higher education. In most universities the limit was set at just 2% intake of Jewish students.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, antisemitism in Susan’s home town became more visible, with anti-Jewish graffiti appearing on the streets and antisemitic propaganda being broadcast on the radio. Physical attacks on Jews also became more common, and Laci was badly beaten at a Boy Scout meeting. Jews also had to wear a yellow Star of David to identify them. Eventually a letter was issued by the council for all Jewish fathers to attend a meeting to discuss the welfare of their families. Susan’s father was among those men who went to the meeting, but when they arrived they were herded into waiting lorries and taken to a concentration camp. Susan never saw her father again and still is not sure whether he died in the camp or was deported elsewhere.

From late April 1944 Adolf Eichmann, a leading SS Officer, took charge of deportations from Hungary and within six weeks almost all of the Jews had been deported, mostly to Auschwitz-Birkenau. When Susan and her family were ordered to leave their home, they still hoped that they would be allowed to resettle elsewhere. Susan took a portable sewing machine with her. Susan, Laci and their mother were all sent to a ghetto in Vác and from there to an internment camp. In late May 1944, Susan and her family were sent by cattle truck to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Men and women were separated immediately, and Susan was soon also separated from her mother who was sent to join a group of elderly prisoners. She soon learned that her mother had been sent directly to the gas chambers. Susan was selected to work, and remained in the camp for around 10 weeks before being sent to Gubben in Germany to work as slave labour in an armaments factory. With the Allies advancing, the prisoners were forced on a Death March to Bergen-Belsen. On 15th April 1945 Susan was liberated by the British army. After she was hospitalised for tuberculosis, typhoid and severe malnutrition, she was sent to Sweden to recover.

After liberation, Susan found that Laci was the only member of her family to have survived. Over 50 of Susan’s relatives had been killed during the Holocaust. Laci continued to live in their parents’ house, although Susan wasn’t able to return to Hungary to visit him for 20 years after the end of the war. During his time at Auschwitz-Birkenau he had been forced to work in the Sonderkommando, moving bodies from the gas chamber to the ovens. He suffered with mental health problems caused by this experience until his death in 1995. After the war, Susan lived in Sweden before moving to Canada, where she met and married a fellow survivor.

Today they have three children and six grandchildren. Susan now lives in London and regularly shares her testimony in schools across the country.


After we heard her testimony, we had a Q&A with Susan, in which she emphasised the importance of taking time to re-educate people about the Holocaust, and the need to keep the truth alive. Susan also spoke about how we cannot undo the past, but we can improve the future, which we feel, as ambassadors, is something we must strive to do. 


Heather and Anna 


Ambassador's Conference

Tomorrow we will be making the long journey down to London for the Ambassador's Conference! We are both very excited to take part in the workshops, and gain more knowledge to teach others about the event. Once we are back, we will post further blog posts and pictures from the day.

Heather and Anna

Assembly Round Two- Elie Wiesel Testimony

When we did our assembly to our year group, we read extracts of Elie Wiesel's testimony that we had heard at the selection point. Whilst it may not have had the same impact as hearing it in the exact same place it occured, it is still a powerful and important testimony, and so we have posted extracts of it below.

The cherished objects we had brought with us this far were left behind in the train, and with them, at last, our illusions.   
Every two yards or so an SS man held his tommy gun trained on  us. Hand in hand we followed the crowd. An SS non-commissioned officer came to meet us, a truncheon in his hand. He gave the order: 'Men to the left! Women to the right!'  

Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight short, simple words. Yet that was the moment I parted from my mother. I had not had time to think, but I already felt the pressure of my father's hand: we were alone. For a part second I glimpsed my mother and my sisters moving away to the right...i saw them disappear into the distance,; my mother was stroking my sister's fair hair, as though to protect her, while I walked on with my father and other men. And I did not know, in that place, at that moment, I was parting from my mother and Tzipora forever. I went on walking. My father held my hand.  

So this was where we were going. A little farther on was a larger ditch for adults. I pinched my face. Was I still alive? Was I awake? I could not believe it. How could it be possible for them to burn people, children and for the world to keep silent? 
Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.  
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity of the desire to live.  

Assembly Round Two

On the 24th June, we organised another assembly to our year group, in which we informed them about the experience of the visit to Auschwitz. Although we were both nervous about speaking in front of so many people, we both found it valuable to be able to feedback on such a significant visit to Auschwitz. 

We began our assembly with the following statement :

"If we were to have a minutes silence for everyone who died at Auschwitz, we would remain silent for two years."

This statement was read by Rabbi Barry Marcus at the memorial service at the end of our visit to Auschwitz, and it was something that really stuck in our heads and still remains a thought today. I feel as though this is a quote that really makes people consider the sheer scale of the Holocaust, and perhaps makes them think about all those individual lives that collectively would account for two years of silence. 

We then discussed each stage of the visit to Auschwitz, from the visit to Osweicim, to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau (blog posts on these coming soon!), and what we had learnt from this. Furthermore, we informed our year group about the various next steps projects we are completing throughout the year, 

To finish our assembly, we read a survivor testimony. The decision for which testimony to read was a difficult one, however, when reflecting on the day at Auschwitz, we both though it was suitable to read the testimony from Elie Wiesel. This testimony was read at the point of selection, and was certainly memorable and emotional to hear. When we heard this, it was very powerful, and upsetting. The thought of seeing your family for the last time, and not realising it was most profound. A blog post of his testimony will follow this post. 

At the end of the assembly, we also finished with a powerful quote from George Santayana, which we felt summarised the importance of the LFA project, but also made people think about the Holocaust. 

"The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again."

We received great feedback on this assembly, from students and staff, and we were pleased that as ambassadors, we have the opportunity to teach others about what we have learnt from this project. We are both looking forward to teaching the rest of the school about our experience later in the year.