Blog: Meeting a Holocaust survivor
When our Year 10 History students visited the Sydney Jewish Museum, they had the privilege of meeting a survivor of the Shoah (Jewish Holocaust).
Conveying the depth and detail needed by our students to fully understand the terrible events of the Holocaust is a complex task, and one our History Department approaches with care and respect.
Visiting the Sydney Jewish Museum last week and meeting a Holocaust survivor, helped Miss Karsten’s Year 10 History students to understand more about the challenges of memorialisation and the importance of preserving genocide histories. As they found out when they met Mr Paul Drexler, a single human story told face to face is a powerful way to convey the tragedy of more than 6 million people.
Paul was on the last train to Auschwitz. By a stroke of luck, the train was diverted to Theresienstadt, where he and his mother were liberated in May 1945. Paul still has the cashmere blanket his father gave him when he was three. He last saw his father in December 1944 at a transit camp in Slovakia, after the family had been arrested by the Gestapo.
Here is what some of our students had to say:
“The Year 10 history excursion to the Sydney Jewish Museum was a very interesting and rewarding experience for everyone. We listened to Holocaust survivor Paul Drexler, which was a moving experience for everyone. It was incredible to hear such a surreal and tragic story and it touched us all. We then had a guided tour through the rest of the museum where we learnt more about the history of World War 2 and about our guide’s personal family story. Overall, the day was very successful, we all learnt so much and benefited greatly from the experience.”
Essie (Year 10)
“The Jewish Museum was an opportunity for us to hear a Holocaust survivor’s story. Throughout the day we had the privilege of hearing from Paul Drexler, an 81-year-old survivor. Personally, one of the most touching moments of his story was hearing about the last time he ever saw his father. It was very beneficial to hear Paul tells his story, and I think that we were quite lucky to be able to talk to a survivor as future generations won’t be able to do so. Overall, I found the museum to be a touching experience that I will remember forever.”
Annalise (Year 10)
“Visiting the museum and especially talking to Paul, a Holocaust survivor, was an eye-opening experience. Personally, we found listening to Paul's story extremely surreal because he was so open and willing to share his story. Our group visited the children's memorial which was very emotional, and it was hard to comprehend the horrors that people faced during the Holocaust. We are incredibly grateful that we were given the opportunity to visit the museum and listen to the testimony of a Holocaust survivor.”
Lily, Zoe and Holly (Year 10)
In the words of Spanish philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Survivor testimony is a powerful way of safeguarding the memory of the Holocaust. The Sydney Jewish Museum holds over 2,500 testimonies from Holocaust survivors interviewed here in Australia. These testimonies form part of a collection of more than 53,000 testimonies gathered by the Shoah Foundation, which was founded by Steven Spielberg.