survivor, a witness to the shocking
and tragic events that befell not only
European Jewry, but all the other
victims of Nazi ideology.
One particularly valuable recent
innovation has been that on the
occasions when I stay overnight, schools
arrange for me to speak to parents
in the evening. These events have
generally been well attended, and the
audiences interested and sympathetic
and bring the great benefit that parents
and children can discuss my talk at
home, and create better understanding
between the generations. Also, it is a
valuable antidote to Holocaust denial.
Another has been the HET Ambassador
scheme. If I were to make a list
of priorities for where to tackle
antisemitism I would put Universities at
the top. I find it intolerable that young
Jewish people who have, like others,
studied hard and had the good fortune
to make the grade for university,
should then feel unwelcome, alienated,
discriminated against, in civilized
England. And what really gets me is
that some of students who can repeat
antisemitic tropes have never even met
a Jew, don’t know anything about the
history of the Jewish people, come with
their preconceived ideas, and are deaf
to all reasoning which might disturb
their ‘comfort zone.’
My feelings have been wonderfully
expressed by an academic’s open
letter to a students’ association which
includes: “University is supposed to
be about learning to use your brain, to
think rationally, to examine evidence,
to reach conclusions based on solid
evidence, to compare sources, to
weigh up one view against one or more
others. If the best that universities can
now produce are students who have
no idea how to do any of these things,
then the future is bleak.”
Young people are our future, and we
look to these students, who have the
added privilege of having studied at
university, to make the world a better
place. How are they going to do this if
some carry prejudices which are
totally unjustifiable?
Travelling the length and breadth of
the British Isles is very demanding
physically but even more so
emotionally, because I do not speak
from a script, but from my memories;
and that can be very draining. So you
may ask “why do I do it?” I feel that it
is important that everybody will take
something away from the talk to think
about. At schools, students always
listen very attentively and ask intelligent
questions. Occasionally I get a question
like “why did Hitler hate the Jews?”
or “why is there antisemitism?” Some
of the questions are very searching,
some very incisive, some more personal
about my family, the questions come
thick and fast and many of the pupils
come over individually to ask more, and
particularly to thank me. The feedback I
get is quite wonderful, and this inspires
me to continue.
When I travel home after a long and
tiring day and reflect on the lovely
young people I have met, I feel it has all
been worthwhile.
Mala Tribich
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