"The Holocaust started with bullying"

Thursday 28 January 2016

A survivor of a Nazi labour camp has urged Islanders not to be bystanders when they see bullying and persecution in any form.

Sami Steigmann, a Jew who survived being experimented upon as an infant, said that everyone had a part to play in stamping out oppression. If left unchecked, he said, hatred escalates and can easily get out of hand, as it did in the 1930s and 1940s.

Mr Steigmann was speaking at the Island's commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day on Wednesday, which included the laying of wreaths at the Lighthouse Memorial on the New North Quay, which honours the 21 Islanders who died in Nazi camps. Born in Romania, Mr Steigmann was sent to a camp with his parents in what is now Ukraine. The family was fortunate to survive and Mr Steigmann, now based in America, travels the world to share his experiences and warn of the dangers of prejudice and hatred.

"Oppression occurs in many forms and unfortunately that still includes anti-semitism," he said. "It is estimated that, globally, 250 million people say they hate Jews, including 53 per cent in China - so no one can afford to be a bystander.