Don’tchosehateHolocaustsurvivor
HOLOCAUST survivor Tomi Reichental spoke against the rise of right-ring movements when he visited DkIT last week.
The packed audience of students, staff and visitors listened in silence as he spoke of how he had survived in the notorious camp during the darkest period of European history.
He was just nine years old when he was detained in Bergen-Belsen where he remained until he was eventually liberated by the allies in 1945.
During his lecture, Tomi spoke about why he feels it is important to speak to young people on the atrocities that he survived. He said: ‘ The reason that my work is so important is because we have to educate the young people of the world of our previous mistakes so that we may never repeat them. I see the world today and I can draw similarities to the events of the 30’s and 40’s. There are so many right-wing political organisations gaining power and it’s important that people do not chose hate. I see the struggles that refugees are going through today and it is comparable to that of what happened when the Jewish people tried to seek refuge in foreign countries during the Holocaust. We must remember to never become the bystander”.
Tomi has lived in Dublin since 1959 and is now one of three holocaust survivors living here.
He has dedicated his life to speaking about the holocaust, to keep the memory of its horrors alive and to ensure that such inhumanity never happens again.
His visit to was organised by the School of Informatics & Creative Arts, whose film and television students are exploring how Holocaust memory is mediated over time and are analysing the mechanisms at play between film, collective memory and historical representation.
Organiser and lecturer, Dr. Ingrid Lewis noted: ‘It was an honour to welcome Tomi to our campus today and there was huge interest from students and staff across the college with more than 200 students and staff in attendance. The Holocaust is considered as an educational imperative that encourages young people to explore the complexities of the past and to construct meaning from this watershed event. It engages young people into a deep learning process while developing a critical mindset that challenges stereotypes, prejudice and misconceptions. It is wonderful for me as an educator to see how much the students are engaging with this topic and how eager they are to know, to reflect and to discuss about the Holocaust. Tomi definitely captivated our students today and I am certain that his words will resonate with them for years to come.”