Holocaust Memorial Day – Boys

Holocaust Memorial Day was superbly organised by Mrs Abecasis on Friday 24th January. Along with Mrs Abecasis, our informal educators: Mr Shebson and Rabbi Fachler, helped run the Holocaust Memorial Day events at the Boys’ School.

Our Year 10 boys welcomed a group of 30 boys from St Mary’s High School where they spent the morning learning about the Holocaust with Rabbi Fachler. This was an engaging and informative session for all and stressed the importance for everyone to stand together united against atrocities.

The second part of the morning saw our Years 7-10 boys, as well as our guests, listen to Mr Manfred Goldberg. He is a Holocaust survivor who has spoken at Hasmonean on several occasions.

Mr Goldberg described how his father escaped to the UK while the rest of his family were taken to the Riga Ghetto in Latvia. He was transported to a labour camp at the age of 14 where he had to build railway tracks for the German war effort. Finally, he was moved to a concentration camp in Poland before being liberated in 1945.

It was an incredible honour to hear Mr Manfred Goldberg speak and hear his inspiring story of his Bar Mitzvah in the Riga Ghetto during 1943. His story will be remembered for many years to come and has now been heard by the wider audience of St Mary’s boys.