SOUTH West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt and pupils from The Royal School in Haslemere went on a Holocaust Educational Trust visit to Auschwitz- Birkenau in Poland. Treasury funding of £1.5m has allowed the trust to organise regional visits, as part of its Lessons from Auschwitz Project for thousands of students from all over the country each year. Mr Hunt joined more than 200 other students from across the south of England on the project which explores the universal lessons of the Holocaust and its relevance today. The visit was a unique opportunity for the students to see what happened, to pay respect to those who lost their lives, and to explore the universal lessons of the Holocaust. The group was shown around the camp's barracks and crematoria, and witnessed the registration of documents of inmates, piles of hair, shoes, clothes and other items seized by the Nazis. They were taken the short distance to Birkenau where a memorial and candle-lighting service was held to remember the six million Jews, and the Roma, Sinit, gay, disabled, black people, and other victims of the Nazis killed in the Holocaust. The course includes a pre and post-visit seminar, to prepare students for the visit and to reflect on their experiences. On their return, the students are required to give a presentation to their peers, based on their experience of visiting Auschwitz and the lessons they have learnt. In this way, as many young people as possible benefit from the Lessons from Auschwitz Sixth Form Project. Mr Hunt told The Herald: "Standing in the midst of the worst killing machine mankind has ever invented forces you to question comfortable assumptions about the world becoming more civilised and progressive as humanity develops. "It also makes you think hard about the meaning of moral courage. "However grisly, a visit to Auschwitz should be part of everyone's education if we are to avoid repeating the bigotry and hatred that has led to genocide not just in Auschwitz, but in Bosnia, Rwanda and even today in Darfur". Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET), said: "We are delighted that Jeremy Hunt joined us on the visit with students from their constituency. "The HET's Lessons from Auschwitz Course is such a vital part of our work because it gives students the chance to understand more the dangers and potential effects of prejudice and racism today on a national and local scale. "With the support of recent Treasury funding, we are excited to be expanding the programme to enable many more students to experiencing this life changing project."
