On Thursday 26^th January History students attended the Holocaust Memorial Day Event organised by The Executive Office and hosted by Junior Ministers Megan Fearon and Alastair Ross.

The commemoration, held in the Market Place Theatre in Armagh, marked 72 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.

The keynote speaker was Holocaust survivor Ms Mindu Hornick, who at the age of 13 was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau with her mother, sister and two younger brothers.

It was a very special occasion for our pupils to attend and such a privilege to hear Mindu Hornick’s harrowing, yet inspirational account of her experiences under the tyranny of the Nazi regime.  Her experiences are a stark reminder of the dangers of extreme prejudice and discrimination and the crimes against humanity which can occur if we stand by and allow them to happen.

Mindu’s spirit and determination in the face of unbearable adversity and her resolve to share her personal story so that future generations can learn from the mistakes of the past will ensure that our students take the lessons of the Holocaust with them for the rest of their lives.  Many of our senior pupils who attended this event will also visit the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp later this year during the Senior History Trip to Berlin.