Holocaust Memorial Day

This year’s HMD theme was ‘Untold Stories’.  On 27th January Mrs Cramer took year 10 History students:  Courteney Thompson, Lauren Hillier, Jenny Dyson and Natalia Kasabi, to the Salvation Army Citadel in Blackpool, to represent Unity.

In December these year 10 students and Steph Thoburn (year 11) had researched and developed ideas on ‘Untold Stories’.  They made an advert about Cherie Rosenstein and a role play on Jack Kagan.
These were stories were survivors from the Holocaust.

At the Citadel there was a welcome from the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Tony Lee) and opening prayers from Rabbi David Braunold.  Also, there was an introduction whilst Natalia lit the commemorabre candle.  Then we watched and listened to fellow high school presentations.

After that Natalia, Jenny, Courtney and I watched our film on Cherie Rosenstein.  This was a true story about a young girl who was taken away from her friend, whilst playing and was sent by the Nazis to a concentration camp.  She was reunited with her ‘lost’ friend at the end of the war, after she was released from the concentration camp.

Steph was unfortunately absent when we presented these, so I stepped in for her.  Steph had previously organised short play with fellow pupils from Collegiate and Highfield College (A Fallen Star by Jack Kagen).
We then watched presentations of ‘Untold Stories: what makes a hero?’ by pupils from several Primary schools.  Also young people from Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation performed  a reading.  This was followed by a prayer by Asher Berman – Thomas from the Blackpool United Hebrew Congregation was also shown.

After the closing prayers by Rabbi David Brauhold, we were served refreshments before returning to school.
From this experience many heroic ‘Untold Stories’ were heard, and it’s in our hands to make sure these ‘Untold Stories’ are all revealed.

Lauren Hillier
Year 10