Auschwitz survivor speaks about discrimination to Solihull pupils - The Solihull Observer

Auschwitz survivor speaks about discrimination to Solihull pupils

Solihull Editorial 3rd Oct, 2019 Updated: 3rd Oct, 2019   0

ANNE Frank’s stepsister and Auschwitz survivor Eva Schloss visited Solihull School to watch a play based on her life and speak of discrimination which exists in the world today.

The internationally speaker watched a performance of And Then They Came for Me, which combines recorded interviews with Eva and fellow Holocaust survivor Ed Silverberg, performed by actors from the school.

Eva’s family went into hiding in Holland after the Nazi invasion, before they were betrayed, arrested and sent to concentration camps, where her father and brother perished.

Eva’s visit was part of Solihull Speaks, Solihull School’s programme for primary and secondary school teachers, featuring speakers and organisations who lead the way in actively tackling discrimination and hate crime in all its forms.




The event also featured The Promise, an exhibition telling the story of Eva’s brother Heinz Geiringer and the art he created while in hiding.

During the event, a bench dedicated to Heinz’s memory was unveiled in the school’s grounds, next to a sapling taken from the tree that Anne Frank could see from her hiding place in Amsterdam.


Eva said: “Thank you so very much for this very special and emotional day. This is the first and only memorial for my beloved brother Heinz and, indirectly, also to my dad.

“His wise words will be a lesson to the many children who will come to sit on the bench and reflect on life.

“This corner of your school, together with the Anne Frank tree, will be a poignant place to also remember the Holocaust. I can’t thank all those involved enough.”

Solihull Speaks also featured a talk from fellow Auschwitz survivor, Mindu Hornick and Taliban survivor Ahmad Nawaz, as well as a presentation from Professor Sara Jones of Birmingham University.

Solihull School headmaster David Lloyd said: “It was an absolute honour to welcome Eva, Ahmad, Mindu and all our speakers to the school.

“We strongly believe that only by educating young people about the atrocities of the past can we help shape a better future for everyone.

“The messages they delivered were so powerful and moved everyone who attended Solihull Speaks.”

There were presentations for both teachers on gender discrimination as well as workshops by The Holocaust Educational Trust and Remembering Srebrenica detailing the support they can offer schools in tackling prejudice and discrimination.

There were also workshops featuring the comprehensive educational programmes offered by the anti-prejudice charity The Anne Frank Trust UK, which was co-founded by Eva.

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