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.