Students hear about Holocaust

Students hear about Holocaust

22 November 2017

THE horrors of the Holocaust were brought home to local high school students during a special event last week.

Over 150 students from from Down High School, St Patrick’s Grammar School and the Assumption Grammar School, heard Holocaust survivor Joanna MIllan tell of her experiences within the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Joanna was born Bela Rosenthal in August 1942 in Berlin, Germany. In June 1943, Bela and her mother were taken from their home and sent to the Theresienstadt camp, also known as the Theresienstadt ghetto, in what is now the Czech Republic. 

When Bela was two, her mother contracted TB and passed away, leaving Bela orphaned and alone in 

the camp. Some of the women working in the kitchens would take food to the orphans. In May 1945, the Red Cross took over control of the camp and Bela was liberated by the Russians. 

The testimony was followed by a question and answer session to enable students to better understand the nature of the Holocaust and to 

explore its lessons in more depth. The visit was part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s extensive all year round outreach programme, which is available to schools across the UK.

Ken Dawson, Deputy Principal at Down High School, said it was a privilege to welcome Joanna Millan to the school and her testimony will remain a powerful reminder of the horrors so many experienced. 

“We are grateful to the Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we hope that by hearing Joanna’s testimony, it will encourage our students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives,” he said.

Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust the Trust educates and engages students from across the UK, from all communities about the Holocaust and there can be no better way than through the first-hand testimony of a survivor. 

“Joanna’s story is one of tremendous courage during horrific circumstances and by hearing her testimony, students will have the opportunity to learn where prejudice and racism can ultimately lead,” she said.

“At the Trust, we impart the history of the Holocaust to young people, to ensure that we honour the memory of those whose lives were lost and take forward the lessons taught by those who survived.”