On Monday 29th of January, Hephzibah Rudofsky came to our school to deliver a talk, recounting the terrible experience her mother, grandparents, and uncle suffered during the Holocaust. Throughout her storytelling, there was a huge emphasis on the different experiences that different people had, particularly the differences between her mother and her uncle’s experiences.

The story spanned three generations as we learned how Hephzibah’s mother Zahava, and grandmother travelled from Holland to Palestine in search of solace away from the oppressive Nazi regime, but unfortunate circumstances meant that they ended up back in Amsterdam where they faced an agonising wait for their inevitable journey to the concentration camps.

“This talk was particularly interesting as we were able to make links to things we are learning in our A-Level course, where we cover the atrocities committed by the Nazis, although, Hephziba’s account added unique and valuable context that will be beneficial, not only in our studies but also in paying respects and honouring those who suffered in the Holocaust.”