Survivor joins mission to Poland
SURVIVOR RENEE Salt accompanied 19 Young Jewish Care supporters on a trip to Poland, which included a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Exploring the Polish Jewish experience before, during and after the Holocaust, the itinerary also took in synagogues and Oskar Schindler’s factory.
Polish-born Mrs Salt — a member of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre in Hendon — gave a moving account of her life from the time of the Nazi occupation to her liberation from Bergen-Belsen.
Her father was separated from her at Auschwitz and she never saw him again. Her mother died two weeks after the liberation at Bergen-Belsen. She was reunited with an aunt and made her way to Germany, and then to Paris, where she met her husband.
They settled in London and she has spoken at schools and charity events for almost 20 years.
“It was important for me to go on this trip with the Young Jewish Care supporters,” she said. “People should know what happened. The best way for them to know is to hear a survivor speak and to see it for themselves so they won’t forget.
“For me, just knowing the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre is there for many of us is so important.
“It’s a wonderful place and each person who works there is fantastic. It’s my second home. I go there every day as it’s open all week. When it’s closed I miss it so much.”
Trip participant Andrew Freedman said: “Renee’s testimony and the sight of her reliving the most horrific of memories — mourning for her family who had perished, for her country, for her people — will stay with me forever.
“Renee lit four candles for her family at Auschwitz-Birkenau and we said Kaddish in unison. It brought home how vital the centre is for the survivors .”