Holocaust Memorial Day

The Academy marked Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 with a very special interview. Ms Samuels tells us about the occasion.

Each year, 27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945.

To commemorate this year’s memorial day, the Academy took the opportunity to interview Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss.

Many of you will know Anne Frank’s story, a girl who did not survive Nazi persecution. Eva Schloss and her mother were two of just 7,000 survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. While Eva’s experience of Nazi persecution is not unique, the fact that she survived is and her story can help us understand the experience of millions who did not survive the Holocaust.

For the interview with Eva, students were invited to submit questions for Eva to answer. There was a brilliant response from students, with almost one hundred questions being submitted across all Year Groups. I was immensely impressed with the thoughtfulness and sensitivity of the questions asked, from what day-to-day life in Auschwitz was like, to friendships in the camp, her ability to forgive, her relationship with her faith, her advice towards minority groups today and many more.

A key message that stood out from the interview is that minority groups are vulnerable to persecution so it is all of our responsibility to speak up and protect each other and minority groups in society. We all have a duty to demonstrate compassion, solidarity and tolerance as one human race together.

I am enormously grateful to all the students who submitted questions and for their mature and compassionate approach towards the project.

A huge thank you to Eva who took the time to answer all the questions so thoroughly and giving an insight into that period of history.