Official Report 937KB pdf
Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection, and our time for reflection leaders are Emily Stephen and Julian Staniszewski, who are Holocaust Educational Trust ambassadors.
My name is Emily Stephen and this is Julian Staniszewski, and we are ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust. Last November, we took part in the trust’s lessons from Auschwitz project as students from Alva academy in Clackmannanshire. As part of the project, we heard from Holocaust survivor Janine Webber BEM, took part in a one-day visit to former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, and, on our return, shared what we learned with our school and community.
Learning about the Holocaust is important to me, because it is a piece of history that should never be forgotten. I believe that lack of learning causes lack of understanding. Through the project, we were fortunate to learn from the individual stories of victims and survivors, and that is something that will always stay with me.
One such story is that of Holocaust survivor Janine Webber BEM. During her testimony, Janine shared that she had to live in a hole in the ground to ensure her safety. She was there for a year, with little to no room to move and no daylight. Janine’s story really resonated with me. I felt so emotional—I could not fathom the fear that she must have felt. Her bravery and determination were admirable, especially as she was only nine years old.
By taking part in the project, we have had a different experience to most who learn about the Holocaust. We stood at a site of the Holocaust, saw victims’ personal belongings, baby items, clothes and human hair that was inhumanely taken, sparking a feeling that cannot be replicated in a classroom via a textbook.
That is why, on our return, it was important for us to share our project at our school’s remembrance evening, speaking in front of parents and senior students. It was important to us that we spoke about Jewish life before the war and specifically about the individuals behind the statistics, as that is what needs to be remembered.
Both Emily and I believe that it is our responsibility as ambassadors to support and guide younger pupils. We hope that the people who heard our speech on remembrance evening, and everyone here today, will play their part in educating future generations, to safeguard the memory of the Holocaust, prevent such actions from ever being repeated and stand up to antisemitism and hate wherever and whenever we see it.
Thank you so much to the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP and the Scottish Parliament for inviting us here today to share our experience and reflections. [Applause.]
Thank you, Emily. Thank you, Julian.
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