Holocaust Survivor Talk

We were fortunate enough to be able to listen to and speak with Dr Martin Stern a survivor of The Holocaust. Martin told us his story- He was born in 1938 in Hilversum in the Netherlands, his parents had both fled Germany, his father was Jewish which was illegal at the time, so they then fled to Holland and found that the Dutch had also outlawed Judaism. One of the most interesting parts of Martin’s story was the detail he gave on his life before The Holocaust and how he had a normal childhood, this really gave me a feel and understanding of the affect that this event had on his life and gave me a greater understanding of The Holocaust and how it impacted people trying to live a normal life. I also found Dr Stern to be an incredibly captivating speaker, he spoke with such ease about such a devastating topic and provided an emotive insight into his story. Martin’s descriptions of his journeys to the different concentration camps and his time there helped to paint a vivid picture of how it felt to experience this horrifying event. When Martin took questions from the audience, he answered them with incredible detail and further developed my understanding of The Holocaust. For example, he answered a question about how his time in the concentration camps affected the rest of his life, this showed how even, after many years, The Holocaust is still a relevant and important topic today. One of the most impactful parts of his story was how Martin talked of the impacts it has had on his faith and how it has changed over the years. Overall, I am incredibly grateful I was able to listen to Martin’s story as it has given me an opportunity to for more insight into The Holocaust and its effects on the victims, Martin was a wonderful speaker and am happy to see that he has found a new life and home in Britain and is no able to educate our generation on such an important topic. Thank you Martin. By Paul Scoles, Year 10