RAF Lakenheath remembers Holocaust

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stacy Sanchez
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Susan Pollack, a Holocaust survivor, visited RAF Lakenheath April 20 as part of the 2009 Holocaust Days of Remembrance Observance at the Eagles Landing. 

Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated during the month of April to remember the victims of Nazi's Germany during WWII. 

Mrs. Pollack gave base members the opportunity to hear the story of her struggles as a young jewish child, whose family was forced to resettle at Auschwitz, the largest German concentration camp. 

"When we were told of 'resettlement', we never really understood what that actually meant," Mrs. Pollack said. "We did not know where we were headed to or how we were going to get there. There was nothing we could do." 

When Mrs. Pollack arrived at Auschwitz, it was the last time her family ever saw each other. Her mother was killed by gas chamber, and her older brother was forced into slave labor, delivering bodies to a crematorium. 

"Through whispers of the young girls who were placed in a room with me, I was told that all our mothers were sent to the gas chamber," Mrs. Pollack said. "You knew it was true too, because you could slightly smell the gas as it flowed through the air of the camp." 

In 1944, Mrs. Pollack was liberated from the camp by the British Army. She was then relocated to Sweden, where she traveled to other countries, and ultimately settled in the U.K., where she lives today with her husband, children and grandchildren. 

"Once I was freed by the British Army, I was lost as to what was next," Mrs. Pollack said. "I did not want to go back home, I just couldn't. My biggest worry was that I was a young child who spoke Hungarian with little education. Where could I go? But I did what I had to, and I managed and have made it to where I am today." 

Mrs. Pollack said although this speech gave military members an insight to her story during the Holocaust, visiting the base also gave her an opportunity to thank the U.S. Armed Forces for their help. 

"If it was not for you people here today, I may not have had the opportunity to tell my story," she added. "You played a key role in my survival." 

In addition to Mrs. Pollack's speech, Lakenheath also hosted Holocaust exhibits at the base library. Free movie showings at the base theater will begin today, where "Schindler's List" and "The Boy in Striped Pajamas" will be shown April 22 and 23 at 5:30 p.m. 

"It has been an honor to be involved in the events and to see such support and interest from (RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall)," said Master Sgt. Anthony Weiss, Holocaust Remembrance program coordinator. "This observance stands to encourage us to reflect on our responsibility to prevent injustice and give Airmen the rare opportunity to listen and learn from survivors who actually lived the tragedy of the Holocaust."