Last term the Humanities Department had the privilege of welcoming two special guests to a history workshop. Bernie Graham and Robert (Judge) Rinder are the 3rd generation of Holocaust survivors/victims and joined Year 9 students to memorialise some of the individuals who were affected by the Holocaust, as well as sharing their own personal stories.

The Holocaust is an extremely important part of history and I was proud to see my students in a different setting opening up their minds, asking bold questions respectfully and conversing about how experiences and stories in history and contemporary times connect together in some way at some point in history. It gave me hope of a possible better future where young people are equipped with history, especially those parts of history that are not commonly taught in mainstream school to the extensive level as this. Having this kind of knowledge enables young people to have the tools mentally and physically that can potentially make the world a better place.

The students were deeply invested in Bernie's and Rob's relatives' stories and I am sure Rob and Bernie could see that too. Below you can read some of the student reflections on the event.

‘I think that during the course I became more aware of the Holocaust and how real people were affected. It was inspiring to hear their perspectives and hear the stories about their families, and I think since we learn mostly about the effects on a long term, wider basis, it's interesting to hear about it from a real person and see how it affects specific people; it definitely puts it into perspective. It was also inspiring to hear about their perseverance and how even through all this they managed to move on and stay true to themselves.’ - Alisha

‘I think it helps us to see how the world has developed over the years and how after large scale tragedies such as the Holocaust there have been initiatives to help society to adapt in a better way, making people feel more included and equal so everybody has fair treatment instead of being discriminated against for something such as their religion.’ - Leia

‘I think that the project is connected with the present day because certain elements of the Holocaust are happening again at this time in history.’ - Kimiya

‘I have learnt that it would be better for the world if people stood up for others even if they are not being affected.’  Danny

Ms Khanom, Teacher of History & Theory of Knowledge Coordinator