Year 9 commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day

Year 9 took part in a series of workshops to learn about how and why the Holocaust happened. We followed the stories of different groups that had been targeted by the Nazis and their collaborators. This included learning the story of a British survivor, Leon Greenman. We explored how a series of events led to Leon, his wife Else and two-year-old son Barney, arriving at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Else and Barney were brutally murdered on arrival in the gas chambers and Leon selected for work. In order that the world did not forget the horrors of the Holocaust, Leon gave regular talks to school children about his experiences, and also wrote a book, An Englishman in Auschwitz.

The story of the Greenmans was followed by exploring an interactive timeline of Nazi Germany. From this we were able to ascertain what the Holocaust was and the events that led to the ‘Final Solution.’ Although the Holocaust refers specifically to the systematic murder of Jews, we learnt about other equally important groups targeted by Hitler including Roma, Black people and gay men.

Finally, Year 9 covered the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by British forces on 15th April 1945. We listened to Richard Dimbleby broadcast as the troops entered the camp. The BBC initially refused to play his report, as they could not believe the scenes he had described, and it was only broadcast after Dimbleby threatened to resign.

In the afternoon Year 9 were able to respond to the day through creating memorials to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Alongside artwork, some very thoughtful poetry, prose and music was created and shared in assembly. We were incredibly impressed with the standard of work and their maturity in handling this very difficult topic. A special mention for Alisha, Arielle C, Arielle C-H, Flo H, Gabby, Hanna M, Isla, Loveleen, Lula, Mariayah, Naima, Natalya, Rachel, Ruby and Taya, who spent their afternoon planning or contributing to a fantastic and informative assembly for the whole school on Monday.

Ms. Katy Fenwick
Head of History