The History department at lunchtime on 13 January 2021 hosted a remote talk by David Wirth, who represented the charity Generation2Generation who seek to enable to continuation of Holocaust memory. Mr Wirth spoke very movingly in a thoroughly researched presentation about his parents Eva Wirth, nee Szepesi, and Istvan Wirth, both Hungarian-born Jews who survived the Holocaust and moved to the United Kingdom as refugees in the late 1950s. Mr Wirth’s presentation used family photos, maps, statistics as well as video testimony from Eva recorded before her death by the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.
Eva was born in Miskolc in the North East of Hungary and was deported to the Munkacs Ghetto, and then to Auschwitz after the Nazi invasion of Hungary in 1944. She was then transported to Germany to work for seven months in a weapons factory. She was sent on a death mark before the Red Army arrived in 1945. Eventually she made it back to her hometown, only to find very few people she knew still alive.
David Wirth’s father was born and grew up in Budapest the capital of Hungary. In 1944, he was sent to the Budapest Ghetto with his parents and two brothers. He was marched to work as a miner in the German camp of Flossenbürg. After a further spell at Hersbruck, he was sent on his third death march to Dachau Concentration Camp. From his family only his mother survived.
The School would like to thank Mr Wirth very much for giving so generously of his time. Also to Mrs Fecher for helping to arrange the contact with Generation2Generation. Mr Wirth’s conclusion to his talk ‘Be kind, do not hate’ is a strong message that we will all continue to reflect on.
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