Holocaust Memorial Day
26 January 2024
On the morning of Friday 25 January, our Years 6-8 boys gathered in the Spinney Theatre to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, honouring the millions of lives lost during the holocaust and other genocides worldwide.
The day began with an introduction to the significance of Holocaust Memorial Day, focusing on this year’s theme of ‘Fragility of Freedom’. Mr Tenison provided the boys with an explanation of the holocaust and the rise of the Nazi party. Helen Crompton, a former receptionist here at The Beacon, shared her mother’s stories and experiences as a Bergen-Belsen survivor. Following that, Mrs Olhausen spoke about Sir Nicholas Winton, who rescued 669 children from Czechoslovakia in 1939, saving them from the horrors of the Holocaust. To end this informative session, Mr Winter discussed Oskar Schindler’s efforts in rescuing adults.
The thought-provoking talks and reflections served as a solemn reminder of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the importance of preserving freedom and human rights.
Years 6 & 7 returned to lessons as Year 8 moved to the Old Barn for a private screening of the film ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’.
Fragility of Freedom
“That is when the trouble started for the Jews. Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees.”
– Anne Frank, diary entry, Saturday 20 June, 1942 – reflecting back on May 1940 when the Germans arrived in the Netherlands
