HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR SPEAKS TO Y8

Mr Oppenheimer meets with students and looks at their work on display in the LRC

THE atrocities of the Holocaust were brought to life for students at Kirkham’s Carr Hill High School as they welcomed a survivor. 

Rudi Oppenheimer was just a youngster living in Holland when WWII broke out but as a German Jew he and his family were among the millions persecuted.

His visit to Carr Hill was organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust as part of the school’s Humanities Fortnight where students have been looking at Humanities and War and how History, Geography and Religious Studies are all involved.

Mr Oppenheimer addressed more than 200 Year 8 students with his story, which included being held in Bergen-Belsen before being liberated at the end of the war. He then eventually made his way to family in the UK before going on to study engineering at university. 

At 79 he has now travelled to more than a thousand schools trying to educate youngsters.

Mr Oppenheimer said: “The main aim is to try and get children to speak for themselves, if they think something is wrong they must speak up.

“The Holocaust happened in my view as people just didn’t speak up.

“And now I feel that as you get older you want to contribute something and my contribution is to try and make it that they don’t make wars any more because if you don’t try then nothing happens.

“I don’t do this for the Holocaust to be remembered, that is not the purpose. That’s gone now but at least we should learn from that.”

As well as welcoming Mr Oppenheimer to Carr Hill, students also took part in a workshop with an educator from the HET which gave them an insight into the suffering of millions of people before they met actually met the survivor.

Head of Humanities, Mrs McMurtrie, said: “This has been an excellent overall experience for our students.

“For the past two weeks we have looked at wide selection of wars and the impact of learning about them in different areas of Humanities.

“To then be able to study the Holocaust so closely and invite such a distinguished guest into school is an incredible privilege.

“Mr Oppenheimer’s testimony will remain a powerful reminder for our students of the horrors so many experienced. We are grateful to the Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we hope that by hearing Rudi’s testimony, it will encourage our students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives.”