Martin Kapel:
Germany was a very, very advanced country. It’s produced some of the finest musicians, some of the world’s finest writers. It had made advances in human civilisation in all its’ spheres and so it is utterly amazing that a country which was so advanced should suddenly descend to barbarities, which really bear comparison with what was happening in the Middle Ages.
There are some people who think, quite wrongly, that the study of history is a waste of time, that one should study things more to do with the present day rather than study a bygone age.
I don’t agree with that at all, because first of all, the only way we can understand the present is by finding out how it came into being, as a result of the past.
But, at least as importantly, perhaps even more so, is those who don’t study history are destined to repeat it. And things which can happen once, can happen a second time.
One must study the conditions which led up to them, and try to avoid the repetition of these dreadful things.
Video summary
Martin Kapel is a survivor of the Nazi Polenaktion (“Poland Action”) in October 1938.
He came to the UK via the Kindertransport and lived through the Blitz bombing of Coventry in 1940. Here he discusses the importance of studying history in order to learn from the patterns and incidences of the past.
Martin explains how Germany in 1933 – a most advanced society of scientists, writers, of creative arts – descended into barbarity and cruelty.
He also proffers the warning voiced by George Santayana (The Life of Reason, Vol.1, 1906) that he who does not learn from the past is doomed to repeat it.
This short film contain scenes which viewers may find upsetting – teacher review is recommended prior to watching with your pupils.
Teacher Notes
Discuss with your class how events in history (such as the Holocaust) have shaped the way we live today.
What influences has it had on society, communities and relationships today?
How has our understanding of history changed?
Why is it important that we learn about these events in history?
This topic appears in history at KS3 and KS4 / GCSE in AQA, OCR A, OCR B, EDEXCEL, EDUQAS and WJEC GCSE in England and Wales,and CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland.
It is also on the curriculum for 2nd, 3rd and 4th Level, National 4 and 5, and Higher in Scotland. It also appears in PSHE and PDE at KS3 and KS4.
Martin's Story - Interrupted childhood experiences of a young Holocaust survivor. video
Martin Kapel, a survivor of the Nazi Polenaktion ("Poland Action") in October 1938, relates his childhood that included expulsion, escape and bombing.
Arek’s Story - Survival in Auschwitz-Birkena. video
Arek Hersh recounts his experience as a prisoner, at the age of only 14, in the notorious death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Interview with Holocaust survivor Arek Hersh. video
Arek Hersh, an 85-year-old concentration camp survivor expresses his anger for what the Nazis did to him. He talks about why it’s important for him to tell his story to others.
Heinz’s Story - Kristallnacht and escape to Britain. video
Holocaust survivor Heinz Skyte on life in Nazi Germany and his escape to Leeds in the UK.
Interview with Holocaust survivor Heinz Skyte. video
Heinz, a Holocaust survivor, reflects on his childhood experiences in Nazi Germany.
Ruth's Story - Escaping the Nazis as war began. video
Jewish girl Ruth Rogoff escaped from Germany and arrived in Britain on 3 September 1939. She relates her childhood experiences and talks of her mother’s remarkable courage.
Interview with Holocaust survivor Ruth Rogoff. video
Ruth Rogoff discusses her memories of the Holocaust and details the horrors of watching footage from concentration camp Bergen-Belsen at her local cinema.
Trude’s Story - Escaping from Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia. video
In this animation, Trude Silman describes her experience as a young Jewish girl living in Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia, and escaping to Britain in 1939.
Interview with Holocaust survivor Trude Silman. video
Trude Silman, a Holocaust survivor who escaped to the UK, reflects on the impact of her experiences and how it has shaped her subsequent beliefs.
Suzanne’s Story - Hiding from the Nazis in occupied France. video
Suzanne Ripton’s story of living in hiding, as a Jewish child in Nazi-occupied France.
Interview with Holocaust survivor Suzanne Ripton. video
Suzanne Ripton, a Holocaust survivor who now lives in the UK, discusses the traumatic after effects of her experiences, her hatred of the Nazis and why we should remember the Holocaust.
