By Ilyd Thomas, Year 12 

On Thursday 31st January, Year 12 pupils had the privilege of attending a talk by Ernest Simon, a Holocaust survivor. Ernest gave us a very informative, as well as insightful first hand look into what it was like to be a young boy during the time of the Holocaust.

On 9th November 1938, Ernest witnessed Kristallnacht and saw prayer books and Torah scrolls taken from the synagogue being burnt in the street below his bedroom window. After this, Ernest’s parents made the courageous decision to put him on the Kindertransport at the age of eight, from Vienna, Austria to Leeds, England.

Ernest had a slideshow of pictures that really brought his experiences to life and made us think about what it must have been like in that time.

Overall, Ernest’s talk was extremely memorable and we feel very grateful that we were able to listen to such an inspiring speaker.