Young children meet Holocaust survivors in trailblazing event
Five survivors met more than 80 children as young as three at the 'Tomorrow's Testimony' event, which encouraged the youngsters to become a 'witness for life'.
Children aged 0-6 met Holocaust survivors at a trail-blazing event which encouraged them to be a “witness for life.”
Five survivors, Zigi Shipper, Agnes Kaposi, Mala Tribich, Harry Olmer, and Eve Kugler, met more than 80 children at the sell-out ‘Tomorrow’s Testimony’ event on Sunday, September 12.
The youngsters read stories and enjoyed interactive activities with the survivors, including colouring a butterfly, to symbolise the poem ‘The Butterfly’, written by a young poet in Theresienstadt concentration camp.
Scott Saunders, founder of March of the Living UK which organised the event, said: “We are not teaching the history of the Holocaust to 3&4 year olds, we are ensuring that in the years and decades to come, when the survivors are not with us, their memory, their stories and the importance of learning about the Holocaust will live on through these young people.”
Each child was given the opportunity to have a photograph with a survivor. The photographs will be sent in a keepsake pack together with the Survivor’s testimony, to be opened when the children are a suitable age.
Parents were also given the opportunity to hear about the survivors’ experiences at a talk the following day.
One of the survivors, Agnes Kaposi, who is soon to turn 89, said: “Anyone who drinks from the primary source of our experience can be a second generation source whether genetically related to us or not.
“If I am a good enough story teller and you are a good enough listener, you can be a second generation member of my Holocaust family.
“Those who listen to you might be my third-generation Holocaust descendants even if they had never met me.
“So it might go on and on, the Holocaust becoming part of the culture, future generations learning to behave better towards each other than our generation had done. And then perhaps the bones of us survivors will rest more softly.”
The event series will be rolled out across the country over the next year. The next event will take place in London on 21st November, and for more details visit here.
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