Stimulated, inspired, and prepared to reach generations

One of the highlights of the Holocaust Educational Trust's Ambassador Conference was the testimony that Hannah Lewis gave. A Holocaust survivor who came to Britain in 1949, Hannah is from a small market town in Poland. As a child, she experienced ghetto life, a labour camp, and the murder of most of her family. Only she and her father survived the war, which for many of the conference delegates, was hard-hitting. With a live Twitter feed, ITV News UK editor, Lucy Manning, led the discussion, which for both Hannah and the delegation was an emotional one. It was interesting that Hannah had only recently begun sharing her testimony with young people. For many survivors, it is very difficult to recall their memories of the Holocaust, but we were so thankful for the time and energy Hannah gave to help us as we look to educate generations about the Holocaust and its relevance for today. For me, Hannah's story, as well as other survivor testimonies, are inspirations to ensure that the atrocities of the Holocaust are not forgotten and not repeated. Each story is unique, different, and special. Every ambassador who heard Hannah at the QEII Conference Centre on Monday 8th July has a responsible to pass Hannah's and others' stories on and ensure that it remains a living history.
This testimony was one of the more personal sessions of the day. Not all were so moving though... Before and after lunch, each delegate attended two academic workshops about an aspect of the Holocaust. I obviously cannot give an outline of every seminar. However, from those I attended, they were informative, stimulating, thought-provoking and engaging. The first I sat through was taken by Professor Richard Overy from Exeter University and author of several works on Nazism and the Second World War. The second was by Professor David Cesarani from Royal Holloway, University of London, a leading British historian on the Holocaust. Professor Overy caused us to think how such horrors could have been carried out; were the perpetrators 'monsters' or were they ordinary men, simply doing their jobs? Professor Cesarani helped us analyse the Nazis' policy concerning the 'Jewish Question', unpicking several of the conventional words we use for this period of history, such as the 'Holocaust', and raising questions about the origin of 'Judenpolitik'. Speaking to other ambassadors about some of the other sessions, these workshops certainly developed our understanding and knowledge of the Holocaust, so we can pass on the relevance and lessons of the concept to generations more accurately.
The final part of the day featured a panelled discussion with some of the main speakers about why the Holocaust matters. While there was debate amongst the panellists, all agreed that the Holocaust mattered to a large extent. As Professor Bauer repeatedly argued, the Holocaust was not unique; it was unprecedented. Genocides are universal but cannot be dealt with without an understanding of the past. How do you do that? Shami Chakrabarti argued that positivity is needed, while Trudy Gold, from the London Jewish Cultural Centre, stressed that the little personal stories help understand the past the best. The Holocaust is not only to be remembered once a year, like on memorial days, throughout the year; remembrance days provide a platform for people to learn about what happened to the Jews under the Nazis constantly. It should be something to be seized and not shied away from. These were just some of the points made in what was an interesting and encouraging dialogue to close the Ambassador Conference and prepare us for reaching generations.
Reaching generations... This sounds like a difficult task and certainly suggests an immensely heavy burden to bear. However, having attended the conference, I and many of the other ambassadors feel prepared, thrilled, and eager to pursue this task. The task of reaching peers, communities, friends, and family with the relevance of the Holocaust and past for today so that such atrocities and horrors are not repeated. The Holocaust Educational Trust certainly helped us take one more step as messengers of important lessons and stories that cannot be forgotten; ones that provide the question 'that was then, what about today?'