'It was hell on earth and it must never be forgotten' - Holocaust survivor tells students of concentration camp horrors
A Holocaust survivor has shared his powerful life story with nearly 300 students in Shropshire, describing his time in the Nazi concentration camps as ‘hell on earth’.
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Manfred Goldberg visited Burton Borough School in Newport where he spoke at a special assembly for Year 9, 10 and 11 students - along with students who also attended from nearby Haberdashers’ Adams school.
Manfred said: “My purpose for coming here is because what happened must never be forgotten, in order to make sure it can never ever happen again.”
Manfred, now aged 94, was 10 years old when the Nazis closed his Jewish school in the German city of Kassel and deported him with his mother and younger brother to the Riga ghetto in Latvia.
He told the students how he was sent to five labour camps over the course of the Second World War, including more than eight months as a slave worker in the Stutthof concentration camp and its subcamps, Stolp and Burggraben.
Manfred’s father had been able to escape to Britain just days before the war began, and although Manfred’s younger brother Herman was killed in the camps, he and his mother survived and were able to be reunited in 1946.
Manfred, who met King Charles last week at a Buckingham Palace reception commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day, said: “Once people understand what the Holocaust represents, I think every single one of them contributes to preventing it ever happen again. Silence never helps the oppressed.”
Students spoke of the power of hearing the testimony of a survivor, compared to reading about the horrors of the Holocaust from a book in school.
Caroline Bedford, principal of Burton Borough, thanked Manfred for his ‘courage, strength and unwavering commitment’ to sharing his story.
She told him: “We are truly humbled that you have chosen to share this part of your life with us. To hear your story firsthand is an invaluable privilege, and one which we will never forget.
“We recognise that we have a duty to learn from the past; to understand the devastating consequences of hatred and prejudice, and to ensure that such horrors never happen again.
“As we strive to build and nurture a caring and inclusive community here at our school and beyond, the lessons of the Holocaust are more vital than ever.”
