6th Formers Visit Auschwitz

Two Year 12 students studying history, Niall Murray–Sharpe and Andriea Miranda, recently joined other students from across the country on a trip to Auschwitz, with the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Niall said, “The trip to Auschwitz was one of the most shocking, difficult and disturbing things I have ever experienced, yet it was deeply profound and eye opening. Hearing the numbers that died is one thing, actually seeing the belongings and shoes of the victims, and seeing the sites that caused so much pain, another. You cannot really prepare for the trip because it is so hard to comprehend. A Rabbi accompanied us on our visit and led a ceremony at the end. He told the story of his family and how the actions of Nazi Germany tore it apart.

“A few things he said stuck with me, one being that he can understand why people deny the Holocaust; it is such a horrifying and unimaginable thing. The word Nazi makes those people sound like aliens, another species, far removed from people we encounter in the street every day. However, the entire trip outlined that these were acts committed by humans, and how we must all remember what occurred during the Holocaust to prevent something like it ever happening again.”

The trip formed part of the Lessons from Auschwitz project, run by the Holocaust Educational Trust, which allows two students from sixth forms across the country to take part. The trust aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust amongst young people, and to clearly highlight what can happen when prejudice and racism become acceptable.