- Aston University’s Department of Politics, History and International Relations will host the livestream on 20 January
- It is a collaboration with the Holocaust Educational Trust
- Holocaust survivor, Dorit Oliver-Wolff, will share her experiences as part of the panel discussion.
Aston University will host a livestreamed event with a holocaust survivor ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day.
The event will see 86 year old holocaust survivor Dorit Oliver-Wolff talk about her traumatic experiences as a child under the Nazi regime.
The University’s history experts and students have organised the panel discussion which will take place on 20 January, one week before Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January).
Holocaust Memorial Day is an annual reminder of one of the biggest crimes against humanity in the twentieth century.
Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.
Dorit Oliver-Wolff was given a British Empire Medal for services to Holocaust education and awareness in 2020. She has been giving talks to schools, community groups and businesses about her experiences for more than a decade.
Ms Oliver-Wolff was born in Novi Sad in Serbia - formerly Yugoslavia. In 1941, she and her mother fled and travelled from place to place within Hungary, creating new identities before hiding in a cellar, from where her mother would sneak out at night to look for food in bombed-out shops.
Her talk will be followed by questions from British and German students, as well as the general public, who can submit questions by 17 January.
Dr Brian Sudlow, lecturer in history at Aston University, said:
“We like to think of the perpetrators of the Holocaust as completely different from ourselves. Yet this is not true.
“Today, in commemorating these events, we are not only listening to history. We are trying to ensure humanity never sinks so low again.”
You can sign up to the free event and submit a question for consideration HERE.
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- Notes to Editors
About Aston University
Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long established university led by its three main beneficiaries – students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the university’s academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Saskia Hansen is the interim Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive.
Aston University was named University of the Year 2020 by The Guardian and the University’s full time MBA programme has been ranked in the top 100 in the world in the Economist MBA 2021 ranking. The Aston MBA has been ranked 12th in the UK and 85th in the world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44)74469 10063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
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