Never Forget: Holocaust survivor visits Liberty Wing

Photo By Staff Sgt. Gaspar Cortez | Holocaust survivor and speaker Steven Frank takes questions from children during the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, April 17, 2023. Frank answered several questions about his life during and after the atrocities that transpired during World War II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Gaspar Cortez)  

BRANDON, SFK, UNITED KINGDOM

04.17.2023

Story by Staff Sgt. Gaspar Cortez 

48th Fighter Wing

The 48th Fighter Wing hosted Holocaust survivor and speaker Steven Frank to commemorate Yom Hashoah (Hebrew) or Holocaust Remembrance Day for victims of the Holocaust April 17, 2023, at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.

The internationally recognized date, corresponding to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, was established by the Knesset (Parliament) of the State of Israel in 1951. This date marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

On the eve of the Passover holiday, April 19, 1943, the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto launched what would be their final act of armed resistance against the Germans, lasting twenty-seven days. This uprising was not only the largest but even more importantly, the most symbolic of the Jewish uprisings during World War II. This resistance in Warsaw inspired uprisings in other ghettos such as those in Bialystok (Poland) and Minsk (capital of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) in the Soviet Union).

Days of Remembrance ceremonies around the world commemorate and honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. They are linked to the dates of the Warsaw ghetto uprising.

Frank was the middle child of three boys who was born in 1935 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His parents at the start of the war had the chance to escape and flee to Britain, but his father decided to stay partly because of his current job, but more importantly began to help other Jewish families escape across the border to Switzerland even hiding other Jewish families in their home. In 1942 that all came to a halt when the father was betrayed, arrested and sent off to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and due to health, was gassed in the chambers in January of 1943.

“We were moved around from camp to camp… horrible conditions… lots of diseases,” Frank said. “In September of 1944, we were put into cattle cars and 39 hours later, arrived at Terezin (Theresienstadt) in Czechoslovakia, where we were eventually liberated by the Red Army in May of 1945.”

After an arduous journey and help by the United Kingdom Royal Air Force, they found their way to England where they were reunited with their grandfather and began to slowly rebuild their lives.

The memories and events can be difficult to speak about, but they are important for this generation and future generations to hear as they can be moments of learning, said Frank. Having the knowledge that brought about these atrocities in history can lead to new thought and innovative ideas so that it never happens again.

“We survived because we were resilient and we were lucky!” said Frank.

Frank was invited to speak at the Liberty Wing by Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Cohen, non-commissioned officer in charge of Occupational Safety and the base’s Jewish lay leader.

“I feel it’s super important for us to hear from Holocaust survivors while we still have the chance,” said Cohen. “Their stories are so important for us to not only hear, but to also learn from. So, I reached out to the Holocaust Educational Trust in London to see if they had any survivors that would be willing to tell their story, and they were able to get me in touch with Mr. Steven Frank.”

Frank now speaks in schools about his experiences and memories of the Holocaust trying to teach others the value and history of the past.

Information from this article was taken from the Holocaust Educational Trust’s article on the life of Steven Frank.

• Date Taken: 04.17.2023
• Date Posted: 04.18.2023 10:38
• Story ID: 442803
• Location: BRANDON, SFK, GB