A Holocaust survivor visited MidKent College on 24 April to share his traumatic childhood memories with College students.
Zigi Shipper, 85, visited the Medway Campus as part of a national programme of events with the Holocaust Educational Trust.
He was only a child when the Nazis invaded his country of Poland in 1939 but unlike many others, he survived the concentration camps to share his tale today.
Zigi shared the reality of life for Jewish Poles in World War II from being unable to use public transport, to public humiliation and his experience of the concentration camps.
“I want young people to know what happened then, and what can happen now, from racism and hatred.”
Of the three million Polish Jews before the war, only 300,000 survived the atrocities.
His message was simple: “You are the future. We can’t do much about the past but we can do so much about the future.“
“Ask why do we hate? We are all the same – human beings.”
“Do not hate. Hate will ruin your life.”
Zigi hopes his education tours will inspire young people to be more tolerant and considerate of others.
Find out more information about the Holocaust Educational Trust.