Auschwitz survivor to watch play of her life at Solihull School.
Anne Frank’s stepsister, Auschwitz survivor and activist Eva Schloss MBE will visit a leading Midlands independent school to watch a play based on her life and to answer questions about living through humanity’s darkest days.
The internationally renowned speaker will be watching a performance of And Then They Came for Me, which combines recorded interviews with Eva and fellow Holocaust survivor Ed Silverberg, at Solihull School on Wednesday, September 25th.
Eva’s family went into hiding in Holland after the Nazi invasion, before they were betrayed, arrested and sent to concentration camps, where her father and brother perished.
For the performance, a troupe of professional actors will create scenes from their lives as teenagers, growing up during the horrors of the Second World War.
Part oral history, part dramatic action and part remembrance, the play has been highly acclaimed by audiences and critics in productions worldwide.
Eva’s visit will be part of Solihull Speaks, Solihull School’s progressive conference programme for primary and secondary school teachers, and will feature speakers and organisations who lead the way in actively tackling discrimination and hate crime in all its forms.
Eva visited the school earlier this year to watch a special screening of No Asylum: The Untold Chapter of Anne Frank’s Story, and to deliver her message of tolerance and understanding to pupils as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.
Solihull School Headmaster, David EJJ Lloyd, said: “We must never stop learning from the past.
“Through hearing about some of the atrocities which have occurred in modern history, often from people who experienced them first-hand, we can educate and play our part in tackling hatred and discrimination among future generations.
“We are so grateful and honoured to have Eva Schloss attend the school again, not only to watch this moving production but also to share with us her story of loss, survival and, ultimately, hope.”
The event will also feature The Promise, an exhibition which tells the story of Eva’s brother Heinz Geiringer and the artistic talents he cultivated whilst in hiding for almost two years during the war.
It is brought to life with reproductions of Heinz’s astonishing paintings, which were salvaged from obscurity by his sister and his mother after his death.
There will be a talk from fellow Auschwitz survivor, Mindu Hornick and Taliban atrocity survivor Ahmad Nawaz, as well as a presentation from Professor Sara Jones of Birmingham University.
There will be bespoke presentations for both primary and secondary teachers on gender and LGBT discrimination as well as workshops by The Holocaust Educational Trust and Remembering Srebrenica detailing the support they can offer schools.
