Over 200 people, including two cabinet ministers, attended an event on Tuesday in Parliament organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27.
95-year-old Auschwitz survivor Renee Salt BEM moved the packed room to silence and tears as she shared her harrowing story of survival.
Born in Poland in 1929, her “normal, happy life” all changed “when the Nazis invaded in September 1939. We were forced out of our home so that the German officers could move in”.
In 1942 Salt’s sister along with other children were taken during a roundup. She herself narrowly avoided detection and was deported with her parents to the Łódź Ghetto.
In 1944 the Nazis began to liquidate the ghetto and Salt and her parents were taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau where she was separated from her father.
“I remember seeing my father's back as he jumped off the train, and then it was as if he disappeared into thin air. This image still haunts me. I never saw him again”.
Her and her mother would later be taken to Bergen-Belsen, which she described as “hell on earth”, before they were liberated by the British Army on April 15, 1945.
Salt’s mother tragically died 12 days later.
After the war, she reunited with an aunt in Łódź and later moved to Germany, then Paris, and eventually to London after marrying Charles, a British Army soldier, in 1949.
Salt spoke with trepidation about the increase in antisemitism in the UK and abroad: “Antisemitism continues to rise, hatred and violence against Jews has yet again become a common news story. A world without antisemitism feels like a future that is long overdue, but far from our reach”
She praised the HET’s work in keeping the voices of survivors at the forefront of their activities: “They understand that they have an important job to do, keeping our memories alive for the next generation, and speaking out against the antisemitism that caused us all so much pain.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (Image: HET)
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who shed a tear during Salt’s testimony, told the audience that: “Remembering what happened and educating young people is a responsibility this Government takes extremely seriously, especially given the shocking rise in the antisemitic abuse that we have seen since the since the October 7 attacks across this country and beyond”.
She said that was why Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer “confirmed that the Holocaust will remain a compulsory topic for schools, following the completion of our curriculum review.”
Phillipson went on to say she was “deeply proud that the teaching of the Holocaust will also be mandatory for academy schools once the new curriculum is implemented.”
Guests also heard from historian Laurence Rees, author of new book The Nazi Mind: Twelve Warnings From History, and had the opportunity to ask him questions.
Historian Laurence Rees (Image: HET)
Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, Karen Pollock CBE told guests: “This month, when we mark Holocaust Memorial Day, we will remember the moment that the survivors were liberated. We will remember those who did not live long enough to see that day - the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered by the Nazis. And we will remember that 80 years ago, when the world saw the horrors of the Holocaust on newsreels and in newspapers, there was a collective agreement – Never Again.”
She continued: “80 years on, the words ‘Never Again’ can feel hollow. We are constantly reminded that antisemitism did not end with the Holocaust. I have hope that the next generation will learn the lessons of the past – and we see that day in and day out from our ambassadors who bravely put their head above the parapet.”
Shortly before the event, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP was taken on a tour of a new installation by HET in Portcullis House, in the heart of the parliamentary estate.
(R- L)Karen Pollock CBE ,Manfred Goldberg BEM ,Susan Pollack OBE ,Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP ,Hannah Lewis MBE, John Dobai and Craig Leviton (Image: HET)
The Trust’s new Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust features cutting-edge AI and virtual reality technology that allows MPs and visitors to Westminster to ask questions to a digital version of Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg BEM, and virtually explore the sites from his testimony.
Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle asking questions to the digital version of Manfred Goldberg BEM (Image: HET).
Hoyle was accompanied by four survivors who have been recorded for the programme, Goldberg himself, Susan Pollack OBE, Hannah Lewis MBE and John Dobai.
The Speaker said that “Hearing Holocaust survivors explain the harrowing reality of what they went through has been one of the most affecting experiences of my life. Their devotion to ensuring that we never forget, but also learn from, the depths to which humanity can sink, has been incredible.”
He continued: “The fact that technology can keep such powerful testimony alive for future generations, years after the survivors have gone, is not only important for our understanding, our history, but also for mankind.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle using Virtual Relaity to see the sites of Manfred's testimony (Image: HET).
Pollock added: “This cutting-edge technology ensures that future generations can continue to learn from survivors’ testimonies in a powerful and authentic way. We are incredibly proud to showcase this programme in the heart of Parliament, offering MPs and visitors the chance to engage with the experiences of survivors like Manfred Goldberg BEM. Together, we can ensure their stories are never forgotten”.
