Steve Yemm column: Hearing Tomi’s story was a lesson Mansfield’s young people will never forget
Last week, more than 200 pupils from all seven secondary schools across Mansfield came together at Manor Academy for one of the most powerful and important events I have had the privilege to host as the town’s MP.
In partnership with the Holocaust Educational Trust, we welcomed Holocaust survivor Tomi Komoly to Mansfield to share his testimony with our young people.
Tomi was born in Budapest in 1936 and survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary as a child.
His story is one of fear, loss, courage and survival.
But it is also a story with a clear message for every generation – hatred must never be ignored, prejudice must never be normalised, and the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.
There is something uniquely powerful about hearing history from someone who lived through it.
Textbooks, films and museums all play a vital role in education, but first-hand testimony brings the past into the room.
It reminds us that the Holocaust was not an abstract event in history.
It happened to real people, real families and real children.
For the pupils who heard Tomi speak, this was not just another school event.
It was a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives.
The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish men, women and children, alongside the persecution and murder of many others by the Nazis and their collaborators.
It represents one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Yet its lessons remain urgent today.
We live in a world where antisemitism still exists, where racism and hatred continue to divide communities and where misinformation can spread at speed.
That is why Holocaust education is not only about remembering the past.
It is also about shaping the kind of society we want to be now.
Young people need to understand where hatred can lead when it is left unchallenged.
They also need to know that they have the power to stand up against prejudice in their schools, their communities and their everyday lives.
That was the importance of bringing all seven secondary schools in Mansfield together.
It sent a clear message that remembrance and responsibility belong to all of us.
I am deeply grateful to Tomi for sharing his story with such dignity and courage.
I am also grateful to the Holocaust Educational Trust for its vital work, to Manor Academy for hosting the event and to every school that took part.
As the number of Holocaust survivors able to share their testimony becomes smaller, our responsibility grows.
We must listen carefully, remember honestly, and pass these lessons on.
Mansfield’s young people did our town proud.
They listened with respect, reflected with maturity, and showed why education remains one of the strongest tools we have against hatred.
Tomi’s story is a reminder of the worst of humanity, but also of courage, resilience and hope.
The message from Mansfield is simple – we will remember, we will learn, and we will never stand by in the face of hatred.