A Holocaust survivor has shared his powerful life story with a group of nearly 300 Shropshire students, describing his time in the Nazi concentration camps as ‘hell on earth’.
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 neighbouring Haberdashers’ Adams school.
He 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 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 Second World 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 at a Buckingham Palace reception last week 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 first hand 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.”
