You didn’t think about yesterday, and tomorrow may not happen, it was only today that you had to cope with and you got through it as best you could.’– Iby Knill, survivor of the Holocaust

Holocaust Memorial Day is One Day – 27 January – that we put aside to come together to remember, to learn about the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, in the hope that there may be One Day in the future with no genocide. We learn more about the past, we empathise with others today, and we take action for a better future.

Discover how our College has honoured this important occasion:

At the Primary School…

A special assembly was held for the Preps 4-6, which included a number pauses to encourage the students to reflect and voice their thoughts.

At the end of the assembly, students were asked to write a prayer for the victims and survivors of the holocaust and other genocides, as well as to hope for One Day in the future when genocides will be a thing of the past. The prayers will be passed on to Ms Roberta.

A Presentation for our Primary School Students is available here:  

At the Secondary School…

A visually interactive exhibition was set up in our Secondary School’s ground floor foyer.

Students also discussed the topic during their lessons. Watch this space for more updates.

At the Sixth Form…

“To be passive is to let others decide for you. To be aggressive is to decide for others. To be assertive is to decide for yourself. You can’t change what happened, you can’t change what you did or what was done to you. But you can choose how you live now.” ― Edith Eva Eger, The Choice: Embrace the Possible

Students were invited to learn more about the Holocaust by speaking to the librarian about the three books connected with the topic.

“A common denominator in these three books is the idea of resurrection, not from sins committed by the protagonists/narrators themselves or a particular character, like in Tolstoy’s novel entitled ‘Resurrection’, but from the sin of others. One might consider reading these pieces of literature through the leitmotif of the mythological phoenix. Regarding Edith Eger and Viktor Frankl, it is their spirit rather than their body that is burnt to ashes, unlike the fate reserved for Anne Frank. Nonetheless, their restored soul, a restoration based on ‘choice’, led to an emergent being that emanates positive possibilities and important legacies. Viktor is renowned for developing ‘Logotherapy’, Edith embarked on evolving what she called ‘Choice Therapy’, while Anne left the indelibility of her short-lived life. The idea of soul reaching is also found in all three books, but it is more evident in Anne’s work. She is seeking solace through the arduous task of indulging in introspective writing: “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support”. However, it seems that the inner self will never become whole without encountering the other, and that brings into being the fictional character of Kitty to whom all the epistles are addressed. In the play ‘The diary of Anne Frank’ she is made to say: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart”.

In one way or another these books tell of the miracle of uttering such a naïve belief instead of succumbing to the defeatist realization that humanity is also an offspring of Cain. The miracle lies in the realization that while Sartre states that man is condemned to be free, one still finds the energy to choose what is best to this humanity in search of redemption and resurrection.”

– Albert Vella – Sixth Form Librarian.

Well done to all staff and students!