Martin Stern was sent to a Nazi concentration camp at five years old and has shared his experiences of surviving the Holocaust with Loughborough College students.
Sixth formers at the College heard how after his German mother married his Jewish father, which was illegal at the time, the couple fled Germany. They went into hiding in Holland in 1938, the year Martin was born, but his father was caught by German soldiers and sent to Auschwitz – where he died seven years later.
Martin’s mother died after giving birth to Martin’s younger sister and the two children were picked up by Dutch police before being sent to Theresienstadt. The Czech Republic ghetto town had been converted into a concentration camp which saw 15,000 children enter and less than one per cent survive.
Despite being very young at the time, Martin is still able to vividly recollect his incarceration and told Loughborough College students how survival was only possible for him and his sister because a Dutch woman was permitted to care for them after her father killed two German soldiers.
The children moved from two countries, lived with five different families and went to five schools but eventually Martin qualified as a doctor and settled in the UK, in Leicester. He has since worked for more than 30 years raising awareness of world atrocities and genocide and has been honoured with an MBE for services to Holocaust education.
“Because Martin has lived through the holocaust his experiences were so vivid and real, it brought it to life,” said Loughborough College A-level History student Ollie Raynor. Fellow student Joe Hodroj described Martin’s recounting of his story as “very inspirational” and History classmate Elin Onions added: “His interesting comments and life story made me think about my own studies and life in general. It was really moving.”
“Martin is a great inspiration to our students,” said Loughborough College History lecturer Robert Fieldsend. “Hearing his life story first hand offers them a whole new perspective on the facts and figures in their text books – and on events today. History is not just about passing an exam or getting a grade, it’s about understanding the world around you. Martin is a truly amazing person and we are so proud and humbled that he decided to share his story with us.”
Pictured: Holocaust survivor Dr Martin Stern MBE shares his experiences and insight with Loughborough College students