A student from Truro and Penwith College has spoken about her sobering experiences as part of the Lessons from Auschwitz Project, organised by the Holocaust Education Trust.

Madeleine Hollings, along with fellow student Tom Luton, met a Holocaust survivor before heading out to Poland to visit the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

German Nazi concentration and extermination camps were built by the Third Reich during World War II to help enslave and carry out the genocide of around six million Jews and five million other ethnic and political opponents.

Madeleine said the experiences on the project demonstrated how “it is vital to not turn a blind eye, comfortable as we are in our privileged, cocooned, western lifestyles. We should always try to bring to light acts of discrimination and oppression."

Students met Auschwitz survivor Ziggy Shipper, who was born in January 1930, who described his experiences during the Holocaust. “This alone was extraordinary,” said Madeleine. “To hear a survivor’s story first-hand doesn’t come along very often and I am extremely grateful to have been given the chance.

“What struck me most was Ziggy’s infectious good humour; despite all he had experienced. He was so big hearted and genuine that he captured and held everyone’s attention for hours.”

Madeleine revealed that Shipper said no matter how hard he tried, he could not wholly forgive the Nazis. “He said forgiving the perpetrators would be to betray all the others who had lost their lives.

But even though he could not forgive, he has been able to move on with his life without hatred and without the need to seek reparation from any remaining Nazis. He summarised this by saying, ‘It would only destroy me, so don’t hate, but do remember.'”

Madeleine added that those who applied to be part of the project had a basic idea of what happened during the Holocaust, “but I don’t think any of us truly understood.” She added: "I don’t think people from our generation or even our parent’s generation really know what happened beyond reading some stories and statistics.

“Meeting and talking to a survivor in person, the level of shock was evident from the solemn silence as we sat in a circle just staring at the carpet for long minutes while we tried to come to terms with what we were feeling.”

When the students visited the death camp, Auschwitz Birkenau, Madeleine said it was hard to comprehend what she was seeing.

“One thing I noticed was the scratchings in the stone; drawings of the Star of David, messages and names,” she said.

The most memorable moment of the trip was listening to Rabbi Barry Marcus sing Hebrew prayers to the music of a ram’s horn after sunset with the camp crematoriums as a backdrop.

“It was one of the most harrowing experiences I have ever had,” Madeleine said. “His voice commanded attention, our eyes were transfixed on him but the psalm itself spoke ‘of a peace so deep, a serenity so profound, that even the thought of the shadow of death cannot trouble one.’ After he had finished we were left in silent darkness to light candles and place them on the memorial.”

Madeleine said one thing discussed after the visit was the role of the bystander. “Would we have acted the same way as war-time German citizens and would we have been brave enough to speak out in the face of probable reprisals? In modern times we might hope we would but aren’t similar atrocities still occurring?” she asked.

“The lessons of The Holocaust are a powerful tool in this regard and are easily accessible on the Internet or on the television. When you realise how easily extremists can gain power and exercise this over people, even to the point of genocide it is our duty to challenge it and them.”

Madeleine would highly recommend students putting their name forward for next year’s expedition. “This experience was unlike anything I have ever done before,” she added.