Earlier in the school year, as part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s 'Lessons from Auschwitz' project, Year 12 students – Ellen S and Ellen B – travelled to Poland to visit key Holocaust sites, including the Oswiecim Jewish cemetery, Auschwitz I, and Auschwitz Birkenau to understand more about the genocide of the Jewish people.

Following their return, Ellen S and Ellen B have created a piece of work focusing on themes such as the silence of bystanders, the persecution of other victim groups under Nazi rule, and the continuing importance of challenging antisemitism and Holocaust denial today.

📝 You can read their moving and powerful account here.

Their experience and insightful reflections highlight the importance of remembering that behind every statistic was a person with a name, a family, and a life; they were also privileged to hear personal testimony from Eva Clarke BEM, who was born at Mauthausen Concentration Camp, a meeting which no doubt served as a deeply impactful connection to history.  

Their writing serves as a reminder of why we mark this day each year – not only to honour the millions who lost their lives, but to ensure that the promise of “never again” endures.