Coleg Gwent A Level students recently heard testimony from Holocaust survivor, John Dobai, as part of a visit organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET).
Around 100 students studying A Level History at the College’s Crosskeys Campus listened to John’s experiences during the Holocaust.
The testimony was followed by a question and answer session to enable students to better understand the nature of the Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more depth. The visit, held at the end of February, was part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s extensive all year round Outreach Programme, which is available to schools across the UK.
Lecturer at Coleg Gwent’s Crosskeys Campus, Lesley Hannell said:
“It was a privilege for us to welcome John Dobai to our school and his testimony will remain a powerful reminder of the horrors so many experienced.
“We are grateful to the Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we hope that by hearing John’s testimony, it will encourage our students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives. For our History students learning about this period in history, John’s first-hand account was particularly poignant.”
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust added:
“The Holocaust Educational Trust educates and engages students from across the UK, from all communities about the Holocaust and there can be no better way than through the first-hand testimony of a survivor. John’s story is one of tremendous courage during horrific circumstances and by hearing his testimony, students will have the opportunity to learn where prejudice and racism can ultimately lead.
“At the Trust, we impart the history of the Holocaust to young people, to ensure that we honour the memory of those whose lives were lost and take forward the lessons taught by those who survived.”
Crosskeys students were also visited by Auschwitz survivor Ron Jones and Joe Lovejoy, Author of ‘The Auschwitz Goalkeeper: A Prisoner of War’s True Story’ recording Ron Jones’s incarceration in the Nazi concentration camp.
