Holocaust survivor Tomi shares his story
By Mary Dennehy
SOUTH Dublin resident and concentration camp survivor Tomi Reichental shared his story during an online European Commission event on Tuesday.
European Commission Vice President, Margaritis Schinas spoke with Tomi (84) about the lessons of the Holocaust for 21st century Europe ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday, January 27.
Tomi Reichental tells his story Photo by Holocaust Education Trust Ireland (HETI)
According to the Commission, which organised the event with the European Jewish Congress, ‘teaching the history of the Holocaust and learning the facts will help to create resilience in society against antisemitism and racism’.
Born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1935, Tomi Reichental was arrested in 1944 and taken to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp – where he spent almost a year as a boy.
He lost over 30 family members in the Holocaust.
In 1959, Tomi moved to Ireland, but it took him 55 years before he started to speak about what he had witnessed.
Living in Rathgar, father-of-three Tomi has since shared his story with many, and delivers talks in secondary schools and colleges.
Speaking with The Echo after a visit to Greenhills Community College in 2014, Tomi said: “I think it is very important that I speak to young people, who in turn tell their friends and their parents that they met a Holocaust survivor and hopefully one day, please God, they will tell their children.
“In this way, the Holocaust will be remembered for generations to come.”
According to the European Commission, Tomi has made tireless efforts to ensure that the themes of ‘remembrance, forgiveness, conflict resolution and reconciliation’ are kept to the forefront.
Tomi also took part in the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration, which was streamed live from the Mansion House on Sunday, January 24.
The Holocaust Education Trust Ireland (HETI) aims to educate and inform people about the Holocaust. Learn more at Hetireland.
By subscribing to The Echo you are supporting your local newspaper Click Here: Echo Online.
TAGS news
