Holocaust survivor relives her story for students

A Holocaust survivor spoke to history students about her experiences in Germany during the second world war.

Pupils in years 9, 10 and 12 at Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn, heard Joanna Millen explain how anti-Semitism developed in Germany and Eastern Europe.

She said her family lived happily before the Nazis came to power in 1933.

Joanna shared the experiences of her family once anti-Semitic laws were passed and provided an insight into the impact on the Jewish population.

Mr Matthew Davies, head of history, who helped organise the visit with the Holocaust Education Trust, said: "Joanna told the moving story of how she survived in Theresienstadt Ghetto (in Czechoslovakia) as an orphaned three-year-old, as well as her life and research after the war, once she moved to England," he said.

"She answered questions that students asked in a thoughtful and sensitive manner.

"We are grateful for Joanna’s visit and hope to have the opportunity to work with the Holocaust Education Trust again."

Joanna was born Bela Rosenthal in August 1942 in Berlin.

At the beginning of March 1943 her father was taken from the streets of Berlin and sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where he was killed on arrival.

Later that year, Bela and her mother were taken from their home and sent to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp 50 miles outside Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Her mother died of tuberculosis, leaving her orphaned, the following year.

In 1945, the Red Cross took control of the camp. Bela was liberated by the Russians, and later flown to England with 299 other surviving orphans.

For the past 25 years, she has told her family’s story in schools and universities in the UK and also in China.

Sixth-formers Jessica Tagg and Elizabeth Richardson presented Joanna with an orchid to thank her.