The survivor testimony was made possible through the support from the Holocaust Educational Trust.
At the Holocaust Educational Trust, they work to ensure that people from every background are educated about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today. They offer the opportunity to apply for an outreach programme. This outreach event offers a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation speaker a timeslot to deliver an educational session for your school. This amazing opportunity is made free of charge through the charitable organisation.
Mindu Hornick MBE delivered a fascinating testimony to our Year 9 and Sixth Form students on the 9th February 2023.
Mindu was born in a small town outside Prague, Czechoslovakia. After the Nazis invaded, Mindu’s father was taken from the family and forced into the army. In 1942, when Mindu was 12 years old, she was put on a packed cattle car and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
A Polish prisoner advised her mother to send her two daughters ahead, and to say that they were 17 and 19 years old. Mindu never saw her mother or her brothers again. The sisters were then sent to an underground ammunitions factory in the Polish countryside where they were worked as prisoners.
After the American Army liberated the region, Mindu returned to Prague. In 1948 she decided to leave for the UK as conditions under the Soviets worsened. Mindu settled in Birmingham and gives numerous talks about her experiences to students and others each year.
Connor Perry, event organiser, said: “The Sixth Formers and Year 9 students showed an extensive level of appreciation for such an opportunity. They responded with an array of questions the deepen their understanding of Mindu’s events. Throughout the event, they showed the utmost respect for her story, and even after thanking her en masse, some students came to thank her personally to show their gratitude.”
