To mark Holocaust Memorial Day (Thursday 27 January), students from the University of Portsmouth and Mayville High School have created an art exhibition inspired by literature written about the Holocaust.
The exhibition, which is open from 12pm to 3pm, forms part of a bigger memorial event being held at the D-Day museum in Portsmouth. The museum offers free entry and a programme of activities to commemorate the Holocaust and those who died in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
Dr Christine Berberich, Reader in Literature at the University of Portsmouth, will introduce the exhibition and discuss the process of enabling students to uncover the story of the Holocaust for themselves.
This creative engagement with the subject of the Holocaust allows my students to engage with the subject matter in various ways and ensures that they learn about the Holocaust from various perspectives, and via a number of different media.
Dr Berberich said: "Although the Holocaust has been a subject on the National Curriculum since 1991, there are surprising gaps in the collective knowledge on the Holocaust in the UK. A recent survey shows that half of Britons do not know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. It is consequently more important than ever that good Holocaust education is available at all levels.
"Each year, my students have to engage in group presentations on a number of texts that deal with different approaches to Holocaust commemoration. Their work results in creative portfolios that are displayed annually at the D-Day Story in Portsmouth as part of the city's Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations. This creative engagement with the subject of the Holocaust allows my students to engage with the subject matter in various ways and ensures that they learn about the Holocaust from various perspectives, and via a number of different media."
The D-Day story also hosts a talk by Peter Kammerling from 12.30 - 1.30. Peter will share the history of his parents and the story of their separate journeys from Vienna as children on the Kindertransport and how they went on to make their lives together.
Tickets to Peter's talk are free but must be booked in advance.
Entry to the museum and all activities are free on Holocaust Memorial Day. Donations are welcome.
