Our history learners participated in a masterclass exploring ‘how can we remember those who are survivors of the Holocaust?’ through the story of David Peterson (formally Piotrkowski). The resources for this masterclass were provided David and his family and the work he has done as part of the the 45 Aid society.
| The ’45 Aid Society was set up as a charitable organisation in 1963. Its founders were a group of child Holocaust survivors, known as ‘The Boys’, who were brought to Great Britain after the end of the Second World War. |
During this session, learners explored the story of David’s hardships and incredible survival. David was born in Ozorkow Poland in 1927; where over 5000 Jewish people lived. The Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 and immediately began separating Jewish people into Ghettos where they were forced to into slave labour. Our young historians learnt about the tragic story of David’s family, the hardships he had to endure and the story of his liberation and new life in England.
After learning about David’s life, our learners were encouraged to discuss the impact of his legacy. Learners were tasked to write a message to David after hearing about his life story:
Dear David, Thank you for sharing your story with our class. I have learned… The most moving part was… Your survival story is one which… For the future I hope… Yours, Your name
They also thought about and discussed the main take aways from the session and how best we can remember those who survived the Holocaust?
It is vitally important to learn about the Holocaust and continue to remember the story, lives and message of the survivors. Thank you to David, his family and the 45 Aid society for providing this valuable resource to our learners and sharing the incredible story of David Peterson (formally Piotrkowski).
‘I have heard hundreds of testimonies and visited Auschwitz, none were as touching as David’s. The class and I were absolutely taken aback by his story of survival, and were curious to know what kept him going through all the hardships. We thank David and his family for being able to share his story after all this time. We hope that we can remember the all the victims and survivors as individuals with stories much like our own, before it was taken away from them, and as those who greatly contributed to European society, and not just as victims of the Holocaust,' Sabrin, History Teacher and EDI lead.
