Students from across the South East returned from the Holocaust Educational Trust’s visit to the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on Tuesday November 12 vowing to act on the lessons learned from the experience.
Simon Kirby, MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven joined students from BHASVIC, Cardinal Newman & Brighton College on the Project. It was a unique opportunity for the students to learn what happened at Auschwitz-Birkenau, to pay respect to those murdered by the Nazis, and to explore the lessons of the Holocaust and its relevance for today. The students will now use the experience to commemorate and educate others about the Holocaust within their schools and local communities.
Now in its fourteenth year, the Government funded project is based on the premise that “hearing is not like seeing”.
Students first visited Oświęcim, the town where the Nazi concentration and death camp was located and where, before the war, 58% of the population was Jewish. Students then visited Auschwitz to see the former camp’s barracks and crematoria and witnessed the piles of belongings that were seized by the Nazis.
Finally they spent time at the main killing centre of Birkenau where the day concluded with candle lighting and a period of reflection to remember the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the other victims of Nazi persecution.
The visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was preceded by a seminar in the UK where participants were introduced to Jewish life in Europe before the Second World War. Following the visit, the students will attend a seminar to reflect on the visit and discuss their personal responses to it. The fourth part of the project requires all students to pass on the Lessons from Auschwitz to their schools and wider community. In this way, as many people as possible benefit from the Lessons from Auschwitz Project.
Government funding has enabled the Trust to facilitate regional visits to Auschwitz, as part of its Lessons from Auschwitz Project for thousands of students each year.
Simon said: “One cannot overstate the importance of visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau and of recognising the full extent of the industrialised nature of the Holocaust. These events may have taken place 70 years ago but the lessons are still very relevant today, in a world where people continue to be persecuted for their religion, race or sexuality.
“I know that the day has had a profound effect on me, and the students from BHASVIC, Cardinal Newman & Brighton College. In Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven we are extremely lucky to live in a tolerant and peaceful society, but we must never take that for granted.
“I would like to thank the Holocaust Educational Trust for organising the visit and for the excellent work they do.”
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust added: “We are delighted that Simon joined us on the visit with students from his constituency. The Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project is such a vital part of our work because it allows young people to learn about the Holocaust in a way they cannot in the classroom. The Holocaust was a defining episode in history, and this visit enables young people to see for themselves where racism, prejudice and antisemitism can ultimately lead.”
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