Holocaust survivor stolen from his family at six months old is honoured with British Empire Medal
Jacques Weisser spoke to Charlene White about his British Empire Medal
A Holocaust survivor stolen from his family at just six months old has been honoured with a British Empire Medal in the King's birthday honours list.
Jacques Weisser was sent to an orphanage for Jewish children in Brussels and lost eleven members of his family including his mother Martha and sister Leah during the Holocaust.
He was reunited with his father Jacob after the war and has campaigned to ensure the pain of the past is not forgotten.
Jacques' honour from the King was in recognition if his charity and education work.
"First and foremost it is an honour for me so I appreciate the opportunity to have received it for the recognition it entails, I hope it inspires to do the same," Jacques told ITV News London.
"[The story of the Holocaust] is emotional but at the end of the day one has to bite the bullet and get on with it.
"History cannot be deleted we have to go forward and hopefully the next generation one way or another will learn from it.
"I am a positive thinking person and for me hope is the future," he added.
Last year Jacques was reunited with his childhood friend Bill who he spent time with at the orphanage.
He sent a message to Jacques about his British Empire Medal which read: "I'm so proud of Jacques for receiving a BEM for all his amazing work with Holocaust remembrance.
"We were hidden together at the Baron de Castro orphanage when we were toddlers and miraculously survived and after 78 year of not seeing each other were reunited last year.
"This honour is well-deserved for the wonderful person he is."
Jacques and Bill were moved from the orphanage in 1944 just before a Nazi raid was due to take place and hidden by the resistance.
Eventually they returned to the orphanage, but the children only survived thanks to strangers they cannot remember and therefore cannot thank.
Six million Jewish people died during the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust.
On arrival at Auschwitz, Jacques lost his mother Martha, who was just 22. In total he lost 11 members of his family, including his sister Lea.
He was reunited after the war with his father Jacob who survived the concentration camps and a 400-mile death march.
Bill lost his father Abraham and his mother Hena. After being adopted by an American couple, he joined the US military.
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