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This is a selection of the winning entries to our Holocaust Memorial Day Creative Responses Competition 2016.
Pupils were asked to respond on the theme “Don’t Stand By” in the format of either a post-card, poem or photograph.
Winners will attend the national service in Falkirk Town Hall and also be presented with their certificates of achievement by Inge Auerbacher one of only 100 child survivors of Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia.
Many thanks to all the pupils who took the time to take part.
Dear Mum,
hope you are doing well. Did you hear what was on the television? It was a man called Martin Luther King Jr. He stood up for his rights which he deserved. He didn’t just stand and listen to people say thing that are not true about his friends and family. He stood up and said “I have a dream” he spoke to 200,000 – 300,000 dissidents and millions of television viewers. I was one of them, he was very inspirational. I think that we should do something to help him. Maybe we should start a campaign or try to change the rights so he gets the rights he deserves. What are your thoughts please write back soon.
Love you lots,
Grace xxx</strong>
I just stood there, I didn’t move, even if I wanted to it wouldn’t be possible. Not then at least. Where I found myself was the history corridor of my school third period had just ended and I was headed to French but I was delayed because of something, that something being what I was seeing, my classmate on the floor and a beefy figure stood over him grinning while my classmate squirmed to get free of his iron grip. At that moment I had two choices: stay and help him or leave him to fend for himself. In the end I chose option B. as I would soon find out that was the wrong choice. Fast forward four weeks later that same boy the one I left to fend for himself was in front of me, he had many emotions on his face in the thirty seconds we were there, happiness wasn’t one of them. I couldn’t bare to look him in the face so when we had contact I averted my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at what me being a coward had done to him, but I couldn’t just look away, I had to make sure that he was ok. He wasn’t. he had bruises all over his face and his eyes and lips were very puffy but also bright purple, still to this day I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t just stand by, I won’t make the same mistake again.
By James
It makes me wonder, wonder all day
What happened? To make people this way?
How can they watch? And merely stand by
As hundreds upon thousands of people … Die
These people shan’t be overlooked and neglected!
How can’t we feel? How can’t we be affected ‽
Have we fallen to a point, in our world and society
Where we lose all sense of humanity and piety?
We are one. We are the same. We are the human race,
And despite all differences, we all end up in the same place.
So all across the nations I say, open the doors! Let them in!
Because when we learn to love, that’s when life, truly begins.
By Tom
The person who hides behind a computer screen
Fingers typing hate filled messages
Click of a button that changes it all
The victim innocent and alone
Thoughts that could end a life
Coward of a bully who destroys it all
Their future, dreams, ambitions crushed
As nobody helped
People will die.
Don’t stand by.
By Maria
