6 minute read
Holocaust survivor gives talk at NUI Galway
By Paddy Henry
NUI Galway marked the 75 th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz last week with a talk from one of the few people still alive to tell the tale of the horrors of the Holocaust. The event, which was organised by NUI Galway’s Historical Society, An Cumann Staire, in conjunction with the University’s Irish Centre for Human Rights and supported by the Holocaust Education Trust, saw Tomi Reichental, a survivor of Bergen Belsen concentration camp, give his chilling testimony in front of a packed audience. Ben Barkow, chair of the Academic Advisory Board of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, interviewed the 83-year-old, speaking to him about his childhood, his time in Bergen Belsen and the importance of never repeating the mistakes of the past. Tomi was just nine years old when he was captured by the Gestapo in Bratislava and deported to Bergen Belsen concentration camp in Northern Germany with his mother, grandmother, brother, aunt and cousin.
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When the camp was liberated in April 1945, he discovered that 35 members of his extended family had been murdered.
Tomi moved to Ireland in 1959, making a home for himself in Dublin and despite the passage of time and a change of scenery, it wasn’t until 2004 that he began to share his experiences with the public. Since then, Tomi has devoted his life to talking about the tragic reality of the Holocaust in the hope that the victims will never be forgotten.
“For 60 years, I didn’t speak about the Holocaust, now, nobody can stop me”, he said. “As time goes on, the Holocaust is falling behind in our memories and this is the reason I wanted to speak about it”, he added. The camp was described by Tomi as “hell on earth”, while he spoke about inmates, “walking around like skeletons”, left to survive on a mere 600 calories a day.
His account of life as a survivor drew an emotional reception from the audience, moving some to tears. With one audience member approaching the 83-year-old at the end of his speech, embracing him in an emotional display of gratitude.
Professor Ray Murphy from NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights hosted the event and spoke of the importance of Tomi’s message, and how it serves as a reminder of the need for comradery and humanity in today’s times. “Tomi’s mes sage of tolerance and forgiveness is more important today than ever. He reminds us of our common humanity and the need for human solidarity,” he stated.
Sean McSharry from An Cumann Staire expressed his delight at the success of the talk, claiming that about 200 people had to be turned away from the packed hall, although some people even sat in the aisles to hear Tomi’s testimony. Mr McSharry told SIN, “It was a huge, huge success. There was over 250 in the hall, listening to his story and, according to what I heard, they had to turn away about 200 people. It was just great to be associated with it”.
The An Cumman Staire spokesperson also spoke of how encouraged the group were to see the interest young people had in hearing Tomi’s first-hand account of one of history’s most horrific events, adding, “It was very encouraging to see, from standing at the front and looking at the students, it was obvious that they hadn’t got the full story. But when they heard his story, you could see the reaction on their faces. It is very encouraging to see that young people are not prepared to forget this and why we need to look back on history, that’s one of the main reasons why we organised it.”
The An Cumann Staire spokesman also described how events, such as this, reinforce the importance of the subject of history and argued that to neglect history would be to neglect the mistakes of the past, arguing, “I think the reaction of the general public will tell say that, yes, we do have an interest in history. I think that it would be a very unpopular thing for any government to reverse the decision not to downgrade history. We would like history to be kept as a core subject.” He continued, “I don’t think, as we look at an event like we organised with Tomi, we can not only look to things like the Holocaust, but even in our own country, we have stuff like the Famine and the one hundredth anniversaries of the War of Independence, the establishment of the Free State, a decade of centenaries. This decade of centenaries is extremely important and if we take history away from that and we don’t learn from our mistakes, I think history is one of these subjects you need to be a critical thinker of and I think that’s why it’s important”, he added.
Biomed Students host bra collection for developing countries
By Ellen O’Donoghue
With the University having recently celebrated SHAG (Sexual Health Awareness and Guidance) Week, students in the Biomedical Science Department of the University hosted a bra collection on the Arts Science Concourse. Organised by Ciara Coleman from the Biomed Department, the collection was geared towards helping women in developing countries.
Bras are an everyday article of clothing for women in Ireland, and in all thriving and wealthy countries. However, in developing, poor and rural countries, bras are often a rarity and luxury.
In addition to empowering women, the recycling of bras saves money and resources, uses less water and energy along with creating a lower carbon footprint. Bras are not often an item of clothing people would think of donating, but in the world we live in, it seems as though almost everybody has a few they old ones could easily spare.
They donate pre-loved and new bras to women and girls in Africa, helping those living in slums, orphanages, IDP (internally displaced persons) camps and schools, as well as those in hospitals suffering from medical conditions such as obstetric fistula.
Travelling to Africa twice a year, they pack a suitcase full of bras, set up a table in different villages, many of them rural, and women find out by word of mouth, with many of them soon surrounding the table keen to find a bra that will fit them.
“There was such excitement, and the chat and laughter continued as ladies tried on the bras to find the right size and colour. What a happy occasion,” a spokesperson for the charity said of a recent trip to Malawi.
Of the collection, Ciara Coleman said, “At BioMedSoc, every year, we take a step back from the usual career and research related events and do something for charity. The only thing is, it’s not always easy to ask students, or anyone for that matter, for money. Bras that are sitting in their house unworn, however - different story!”
The collection was geared towards helping women in developing countries, as women in these countries who wear bras “are considered more wealthy and likely to be ‘cared for’, which means they are likely to have a male relative in their life”. In turn, this means that they are perceived as ‘not alone’, and thus are seen as less vulnerable, and are less likely to be attacked or raped.
Speaking to SIN, Ciara said, “I’m overwhelmed with the support so far, but I suppose it’s all about people actually arriving on the day and donating! We’ve added a raffle element to the event - so every bra is an entry”.
A simple bra has the power to help women and girls regain self-respect and dignity. Ciara Coleman and the Biomed Department are donating the bras to the Scottish Charity SmallsforAll (www.smallforall.org).
