Holocaust Memorial Day Talk

Oldham Sixth Form College was pleased to host a special talk by Ernie Hunter of the Northern Holocaust Education Group (NHEG) to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023. Ernie is a founder member and chair of the NHEG, whose purpose is to pass on the life stories and experiences of the victims of Nazi persecution and the Holocaust so that they are not forgotten or denied. He has been involved in Holocaust education for over ten years in the UK and in Germany.

Ernie is the son of a refugee German Jewish mother, who actively confronted the Nazi regime, and a refugee German non-Jewish father who had to flee Nazi Germany as a political opponent of the Nazi regime. They met and married while in Wales during the Second World War. Ernie’s parents are featured in the exhibition ‘Refugees from National Socialism in Wales: Learning from the Past for the Future’, which is currently on show at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre until 29 January. The exhibition will also be travelling to the Senedd and Pierhead Galleries in Cardiff from 18 February to 18 April 2023, and the Pontio, Bangor, in June 2023.

We were very fortunate to share our time with Ernie and we thank him for it. 

Jack Evans, Curriculum Area Leader for Humanities, who organised the event, said:

Having the son of a Holocaust survivor come into OSFC to share his mother's story was an invaluable opportunity for our students to connect with History in a profound and personal way. Ernie brought the lessons of the past to life and instilled a deeper understanding of the importance of remembering and never repeating these atrocities.

 Oliver McWalters, a student in attendance, said:

The talk was as important as it was interesting. I enjoyed hearing about the holocaust from a personal angle and from somebody who was evidently passionate about their own connection to the atrocities. I left feeling fortunate that I was able to hear the story in person, and wanting to hear more personal angles of history.