Neil Parish MP and students from across the South West returned from the Holocaust Educational Trust’s visit to the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on the 19th March vowing to act on the lessons learned from the experience.

Neil joined more than 200 post-16 students from across the South West on the Project. It was a unique opportunity to learn what happened at Auschwitz-Birkenau, to pay respect to those murdered by the Nazis, and to explore the lessons of the Holocaust and its relevance for today. The students will now use the experience to commemorate and educate others about the Holocaust within their schools and local communities.

Now in its sixteenth year, the Government funded project is based on the premise that “hearing is not like seeing”. Students first visited Oświęcim, the town where the Nazi concentration and death camp was located and where, before the war, 58% of the population was Jewish. Students then visited Auschwitz I to see the former camp’s barracks and crematoria and witnessed the piles of belongings that were seized by the Nazis. Finally they spent time at the main killing centre of Birkenau where the day concluded with candle lighting and a period of reflection to remember the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the other victims of Nazi persecution.

The visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was preceded by a seminar in the UK where participants were introduced to Jewish life in Europe before the Second World War. Following the visit, the students will attend a seminar to reflect on the visit and discuss their personal responses to it.  The fourth part of the project requires all students to pass on the Lessons from Auschwitz to their schools and wider community. In this way, as many people as possible benefit from the Lessons from Auschwitz Project.

Government funding has enabled the Trust to facilitate regional visits to Auschwitz, as part of its Lessons from Auschwitz Project for thousands of students each year.

Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said:

“One cannot overstate the importance of visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau and of recognising the full extent of the industrialised nature of the Holocaust. These events may have taken place 70 years ago but as our society bears witness; we need to continue to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to the younger generations in order to fight bigotry and hatred today.

“I was pleased to have been able to share this experience with young people from Devon. The visit to Auschwitz, the site of one of the worst crimes in human history, was an incredibly moving and humbling experience and brought and human face to the millions killed in the name of anti-Semitism. Auschwitz is an important historic site, not just to remember the Holocaust but as a warning to future generations that hate and ignorance can too easily turn violence. As Rwanda and Syria show it is important  to learn the lessons of the past and combat bigotry in all its forms.”

Karen Pollock MBE,Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said:

“We are delighted that Neil joined us on the visit with students from his constituency. The Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project is such a vital part of our work because it allows young people to learn about the Holocaust in a way they cannot in the classroom.  The Holocaust was a defining episode in history, and this visit enables young people to see for themselves where racism, prejudice and antisemitism can ultimately lead.”