The Holocaust is an event in human history that should not be forgotten. Millions of people lost their lives in Nazi extermination camps. Gena Turgel MBE was a survivor – she survived the Kraków ghetto, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps. She spent much of her life afterwards sharing her testimony with hundreds of thousands of young people in schools across the length and breadth of the country over a period of many many years.
To commemorate her incredible story, the hard work she undertook, and to recognise her passing, I raised a motion in the Scottish Parliament which you can see below.
I am grateful that the Holocaust Educational Trust is committed to working tirelessly to share Gena’s story in order to help ensure that her legacy lives on and continues to educate future generations about the horror that was the Holocaust.
Motion Number: S5M-12788
Lodged By: Alex Rowley
Date Lodged: 14/06/2018
Title: Gena Turgel MBE, 1923-2018
Motion Text:
That the Parliament is saddened by the passing of the Holocaust survivor, Gena Turgel, on 7 June 2018, aged 95; recognises that Gena, who was known as the Bride of Belsen, survived the Kraków ghetto, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen, and went on to marry her British liberator, Norman Turgel; understands that she comforted Anne Frank at the Bergen-Belsen camp before the young diarist’s death; commends Gena on dedicating her life to sharing her testimony with hundreds of thousands of young people in schools across the country over many years, and applauds the Holocaust Educational Trust on committing to continue working tirelessly to share Gena’s story to help ensure that her legacy lives on and continues to educate future generations about the Holocaust.
You can see who has signed the motion on the Scottish Parliament website by clicking here.
