MTS Welcomes Holocaust Survivor

MTS welcomes Holocaust survivor writes Kobi Weiler (5ths), from MTS Jewish Society: On Thursday 26th January we were privileged to welcome Yvonne Bernstein, a Holocaust survivor, who in advance of Holocaust Memorial Day, came in to share her experiences and memories. It seems surreal that less than 100 years ago there was a mass genocide committed in Europe by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Many people, myself included, still struggle to grasp the reality of what happened, however it has undoubtedly influenced our lives in different ways.

There was a fantastic turnout of people who came to hear the talk, filling the Chaplaincy Centre. Yvonne was born in Germany in 1937 so was very young when war broke out. Her parents had visas accepted, allowing them to escape to England and work. Yvonne however wasn’t granted one and so stayed with her aunt in France while her parents fled to England as refugees. She was separated from her parents for six years and finally came to England as a young girl with no idea of her religious background. She had been shielded from the atrocities that had happened across Europe to millions of Jews and other minorities.

She even had no idea she was Jewish herself until much later in life, which must have been an incredibly challenging thing for her to understand. Mrs Bernstein left us with a powerful message which could be summarised thus: “Be tolerant as differences are what makes life interesting. As long as people are not harming others, we should accept and welcome them."

To most of us, 100 years seems like a long time in the past, however in many ways Yvonne’s experience is still of great contemporary relevance. It should be remembered and acknowledged long into the future.