The Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre is excited to announce that we will be hosting a special event for secondary school pupils on Thursday 21st January 2027, in the lead up to Holocaust Memorial Day. The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2027 is ‘No Place for Prejudice’.
Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp, and commemorates the millions of lives lost through Nazi persecution and the genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur. You can find out more about this year’s theme here.
As many of those who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust first-hand are no longer with us, we now look to the second generation to continue sharing their stories. This event will be a special opportunity for pupils to hear these stories as told by those closest to the survivors. The pupils will have the opportunity to ask questions, and will be able to share what they have learned with their fellow pupils back at school for Holocaust Memorial Day.
The event will take place on Thursday 21st January 2027. The programme for the day is as follows:
- 10.30-12.00: Introduction, a tour of the synagogue, ‘Scotland a Sanctuary’ exhibition and a chance to view original archival material from the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre.
- 12.00-12.30: Break – with refreshments provided from Marks Deli
- 12.30-2.00: Speakers and time for questions.
Speakers
Maria Chamberlain
My parents, Artur and Jadwiga, were caught up in the nightmare of the Holocaust. My father, Artur, endured unspeakable ordeals of several concentration camps and a death march. My mother, Jadwiga, narrowly escaped from the death train to Belzec, an extermination camp where my grandmother perished. She then survived the rest of the war on false papers in hiding. My parents survival was through resilience, guile, good luck and the kindness of random good strangers, Polish, Ukrainians and German. I was born after the war, and now tell their story in person and in print, because I feel that it is important to understand what happened, but also how easily it can happen, so that together we can hope for a more just, humane and peaceful world.
Gillian Field
My father, Henry Wuga, was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1924. On 9th November 1938, under Hitler’s direction, the Nazis organised a nationwide attack on Jewish businesses and homes. It became known as Kristallnacht and was truly frightening. Following Kristallnacht, it became clear that there was a real danger for Jews in Germany and Dad’s parents made the decision to apply for a place for him on the Kindertransport so that he could come to safety in the UK. On 5th May1939, at 15y old, Dad arrived at London’s Liverpool Street Station and then travelled to Glasgow where a Jewish lady had guaranteed for him.
In 1940 Dad was moved to Perth as an evacuee and a few months later he was arrested at 16years old for ‘corresponding with the enemy’. He was in fact writing to his parents in Germany. He was subsequently interned on the Isle of Man, where he remained for 10 months. After returning to Glasgow, he worked in well known restaurants as a chef. He and my mother married in December 1944.
My mother, Ingrid, was born in Dortmund in Germany in 1924. After Kristallnacht, Mum’s parents also realised that there was no future for Jews in Germany and managed to secure a place for her on the Kindertransport in July 1939. She was 15y old. She was taken in by a couple in Leicestershire, who found her a position as a nanny. Mum’s parents were able to follow her to the UK as they had managed to get domestic visas which meant they could work as domestic servants in the UK. By 1940 both Mum and her parents were living in Glasgow.
In the 1960s, my parents set up a catering business for the Jewish community in Glasgow which they ran very successfully until they retired in the late 1980’s. Mum and Dad were happily married for 76 years.
We hope that you will be able to join us for this special event. We can accommodate up to 6 pupils and 2 teachers per school, and the price of a ticket is £10 per pupil (free for teachers). Acceptance of a Travel Bursary Application is guaranteed for this event, which you can apply for here.
Please email schools@sjhc.org.uk a filled in booking form to secure your place.
We look forward to seeing you there!
