North Tyneside school pupils perform song marking Holocaust memorial day

A school in North Tyneside has come together to mark Holocaust memorial day on Friday 27 January.

Taking inspiration from this years theme 'Ordinary People', students at Wellfield School performed a song especially written for the occasion, with lyrics by Jewish community members, Agi Gilbert and Marta Joseph.

Deanna Van der Velde, from the Association of Jewish Refugees was the guest speaker at the event.

Speaking at the event, she said: "As the older generation pass away and our generation won't be here, it's voices, like the voices of the children that we've heard today that we hope will carry on on our behalf."

Ms Van der Velde was born in Newcastle to refugee parents. Her mother left Berlin at 17, a few weeks after Kristallnacht. Her father came with his brothers from Warsaw in 1938 and set up a paper making factory in Team valley.

Ms Van der Velde has helped to organise various commemorations for Holocaust memorial day, and is passionate that the Holocaust should never be forgotten.

Other events highlighting Holocaust memorial day includes an exhibition of photographs from Auschwitz on the first floor level of City Library.

'A Place on Earth' is a series of images from the Holocaust archives at Yad Vashem. It will be on show until Friday 10 February.

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