Genocide Survivors Bring Their Stories To NI

Northern Ireland is remembering past genocides and paying tribute to survivors in a series of events ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Three individuals who survived the Holocaust and Bosnian genocides have visited the region to talk about their experiences with over 4,000 people, including school children and adults alike.

Susan Pollack MBE and Tomáš Reichental survived the Nazi concentration camps of the Holocaust during the Second World War. Safet Vukalić is a Bosnian Muslim who survived persecution in Bosnia in the 1990s, coming to the UK as a refugee in 1994.

Individually, they will be visiting over 50 schools and organisations across Northern Ireland ahead of next January's commemorative event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. July 2020 will also mark 25 years since the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia.

Mark Browne of The Executive Office commented: "Susan, Tomáš and Safet have lived through some of the darkest moments in human history. They have borne witness to unimaginable events in the most adverse of circumstances.

"Their message is poignant, and their stories are personal. But they also show how groups of people were marginalised by genocidal regimes. This is hugely important as we seek to learn about the past, and ensure such actions are never repeated.

"It will be a privilege to share their experiences and humbling to hear about what they have endured."

Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said the programme will help people across Northern Ireland learn more about the Holocaust and more recent genocides.

"We are delighted that students and community groups have the opportunity to hear from Susan, Tomi and Safet," she commented. "Their remarkable experiences are a powerful reminder of the consequences of unchecked discrimination and hatred, and should encourage us all to guard against identity-based hostility of any kind.

"As we approach a landmark anniversary year in 2020, 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and 25 years since the genocide in Bosnia, we encourage everyone to learn from genocide, for a better future."



(JG/MH)