Horrors of Holocaust remembered by pupils

To mark this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, post-primary schools in the borough were invited to accept copies of a book entitled ‘Faraway Home’ by Marilyn Taylor.

The novel follows the story of a 13-year-old boy, Karl, and his sister Rosa who are two of the thousands of unaccompanied children who made their way to safety in the UK.

The event, organised by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, saw representatives of the schools meet the author and receive copies of the book.

Mayor of MEA, Councillor Billy Ashe said: “Thanks to support from OFMDFM through Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Good Relations programme, we are able to use Holocaust Memorial Day as a time to remember those whose lives were destroyed or changed beyond recognition, through hatred.

“We remember not only the Holocaust but also the subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

“We are delighted to be marking Holocaust memorial Day by passing a legacy to the schools in the form of copies of this novel and welcome having the author present and hope that the schools represented will benefit from being able to hear from her directly and ask questions.”

The annual Holocaust Memorial Day first took place in the UK in 2001. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Don’t Stand By’ Marilyn Taylor, who undertook a short reading, said: “Along with the other Allies, the people and government of Northern Ireland in World War II made many sacrifices and played a vital role in bringing about the defeat of the Nazis and in closing down their concentration camps.

“So, it is particularly appropriate that Mayor Billy Ashe and his colleagues are here at this gathering.

“II am honoured to be able to not only undertake a reading - providing these young people with an opportunity to hear first-hand about the book - but also to take questions from them.”