KAS student marks Holocaust Memorial Day with moving photos
25th January 19
On Friday 25th January KAS staff and students mark Holocaust Memorial Day with a short service in our Phoenix Theatre. Remembering the millions who lost their lives in the Holocaust there will be readings, music and a display of photographs by YR12 student Tia, who visited Auschwitz last year.
“I had the unique opportunity to visit Poland for a day, together with students from all over London, under the auspices of the Lessons from Auschwitz Project run by the Holocaust Educational Trust.
Those of us taking part were educated on this historic event, not only by amazing and well-informed teachers, but also by experiencing it first-hand. This topic is not something to be touched lightly upon. It’s something that everyone living on this planet should be made aware of. Before doing this program, I had very little understanding of what the Holocaust was really about, despite being brought up in a Jewish family. I took this exceptional opportunity because I felt like I needed to know more about this matter for both personal and collective reasons. We are duty bound, to educate society to end hatred and xenophobia. I believe it is each of our duties to ensure that the Holocaust never happens again. And it felt like it was part of my responsibility to go and learn and share, in my own way, what I encountered on this trip. 
How can you explain something like this in a paragraph? You can’t really. The only way I can begin to describe it, was by the way it hit me. Walking through the concentration camps, my mind couldn’t grasp what had actually happened. The numbers, the dehumanizing realities, the weather conditions, the sheer brutality and so many more dreadful truths took place. To have heard about it was one thing, but to have actually been there and to walk on the same road where so many millions perished, was staggering. Each room, each road, each building I had entered had an eerie atmosphere to it. My mind was flooded with emotions and thoughts. Pain and sadness overwhelmed me. I was incredulous, my heart wrenched at what I learned. 
Toward the end of our day trip, the Rabbi who’d come with us gave a speech. His speech stayed with me every time I think about the Holocaust. His words were deeply inspirational. He encouraged us to speak from the truth in our own words, as we are the next generation and the future is in our hands. By this point, I was overwhelmed, and tears started falling down my cheeks. I knew in that moment that I was going to do my bit to ensure that this tragedy that was the Holocaust, would not be forgotten, so it will never be permitted to happen again. It is up to each of us now to educate and share what we know. 
The most impactful way I know to share is through my own lens of photography. My intention is that the exhibition of my photography will etch this timeless memory into the viewer’s mind and remind us to never forget. These pictures will be exhibited on Friday the 25th January 2019 for Memorial Day and will be hanging there for a week after.”
Tia YR12
