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Grandchildren of survivors: It is 'our responsibility' to educate about the Holocaust

Natalie Meltzer, who organised a trip to Auschwitz for young adults, said: 'I thought everyone’s grandpa had been through the Holocaust'

March 12, 2019 17:04
Karen Pollock with Natalie Meltzer at  Auschwitz
2 min read

When Natalie Meltzer was younger she would listen in horror to her grandfather’s stories about how he managed to survive six concentration camps.

Harry Balsam, who was born in 1929 in Gorlice, Poland was separated from his mother, sister and younger brother at the age of 12 as they boarded a train to Belzec. It was the last time he saw them.

His mother, sister Gitel and brother Joseph were murdered, while his brother Sanek was shot by an SS Officer whilst searching for food for the family outside the ghetto in Gorlice.

“He was the sort of person who often talked about what happened to him,” Mrs Meltzer said.