One of our Year 7 pupils, Adam, recently hosted an assembly to mark Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day as it is also known, to help his fellow pupils understand more about what happened to Jews in World War 2.
Adam said “It is a subject that is very close to my heart, my four grandparents lost a huge part of their family during the holocaust, and this is a subject often discussed in my family. I strongly believe that educating young people about what has happened in the past will help prevent it happening again, it is our duty to remember and never forget.”
He gifted each pupil in Year 7, along with some Year 8 Captains and staff, a candle from UK charity Yellow Candle. Head, Mr Pettitt, lit his in memory of Rachel Sztajer who was murdered in Lodz, Poland.
The Charity says their aim is to “distribute yellow remembrance candles to as many individuals in the community as possible. Participants are invited to share images of their lit candles on social media on the eve of Yom HaShoah, thereby creating a modern-day collective communal memorial.” Along with each Yellow Candle, a card with the name, age, date, and place of death of someone who perished in the Holocaust is enclosed as well as a seed for the owner to plant in their memory. Adam explained how he wanted to everyone to share in reflecting on those who lost their lives: “I liked the idea of lighting a candle in memory of a victim of the holocaust, so they are remembered and the fact that anyone could be involved and take part in remembering.”
Mr Sam Pullan, Head of Lower School, was also gifted a candle and said: “I was delighted when Adam asked whether he could do an assembly to commemorate Yom HaShoah. He is very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject, and did all the preparation by himself. He also did a brilliant job in securing 200 candles from the Yellow Candle charity, to help his peers understand and mark the occasion. I also admire his confidence: giving assembly can be nerve-shredding for teachers, let alone pupils in Year 7!”
