A HOLOCAUST survivor has told her emotional life story to Year 9 pupils at St Joseph’s Catholic College.

Hannah Lewis, 80, ended her talk with words of advice to the 230 young students who had listened attentively and respectfully.

She said: “Be true to yourself and don’t be bemused by bullies or those who give you false information and false hopes, always find things out for yourself and be your own person.

“And if you cannot do good, do not do bad.”

Hannah was born in a small town in Poland which became a popular place for Jews to find refuge when the Nazis occupied the country.

She was rounded up with her family and marched to the village of Adampol in 1943 where there was a slave-labour camp offshoot of the Sobibor extermination camp.

Her father and his cousin managed to escape but her mother was shot. Hannah was liberated by a Soviet soldier when she was 11.

She later reunited with her father and didn’t talk about her experiences for 40 years.

Students got the rare opportunity to ask questions to someone who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust first-hand.

Hannah said: “They were lovely children and the questions they asked were very pertinent.

“It must have been a bit of a shock for them to be confronted by somebody who remembers it.

“One boy asked me something no-one had asked before: 'why do I do this?'

“I do it because this sort of thing doesn’t happen to some other being, it happens to normal people by normal people: the commandant in Auschwitz played with his dogs while children were being incinerated next door.

“I think it’s very important in this age of information and misinformation that people hear about this and spread tolerance, there aren’t many of us left and I’m one of the youngest, soon it will all be second-hand.”

The talk was organised with the Holocaust Educational Trust by history teacher Liz Howell.

She said: “It was very moving and very personal.

“This is something I’ve wanted to organise for a while as it makes the experience very real for the students.

Fellow history teacher Kelli Parker said: “We can teach it and we can read about it but she lived through it, they were captivated by the talk.”

Hannah added: “I’m blessed and cursed with a good memory, when I’m talking about it I’m there reliving it.

“My memories will always be part of who I am but it’s never been allowed to ruin my life.

“Each survivor is different and we deal with what happened to us in our own way.

“My life took a different turn once I went to school, getting married was one of the best things to happen to me and seeing my children and grandchildren grow up secure and unafraid made life worthwhile.”

Paul Hughes, principal at St Joseph’s Catholic College, said: “Her testimony will remain a powerful reminder of the horrors so many experienced.

“We hope that by hearing Hannah’s testimony, it will encourage our students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives.”