Holocaust presentations enlighten qathet School District students

Elementary and secondary school students in qathet region and Comox Valley school districts have been learning about the Second World War holocaust from Peter Uhlmann, whose family was affected by the mass extermination of Jewish people.

Uhlmann connected with his family history when he was visiting Europe as a tai chi student. His brother had previously travelled to Europe and had visited the town in northern Germany, Bad Driburg, where their father had grown up. Uhlmann decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and visit the town.

“My brother had found a local person who showed him around, told him where our parents had lived, and various other features,” said Uhlmann. “This man had served in the German army, but became a person who happened to develop a whole remembrance situation for Jewish families who had lived in that community. So, after my brother had been there, all of a sudden, I’m there with my daughter.”

Uhlmann said he connected with the man, who was a great resource during the visit, and that got Uhlmann interested in researching his family more deeply.

“My parents died when I was in my early 20s and they never really talked much about the situation of their families in Germany,” said Uhlmann. “I knew a little, not much, so I started doing some research, and since then, have taken two more trips, including to the town where my mother is from.”

Uhlmann went back recently with family members and made some new contacts.

“We’ve had new people showing us around,” said Uhlmann. “It has been a reconciliation because, to be honest, I had no love for Germany or the Germans, because of the war and the holocaust, but they have tried very hard to make amends.

“For example, my mother’s community invited us for the 70th anniversary of what was known as the Crystal Night [Kristallnacht], where violence was perpetrated against Jewish people on November 9 and 10, 1938.”

Uhlmann said monuments to those killed in the holocaust have since been erected and a lot has been done to make up for what happened.

Based on his experiences in Europe and his research, Uhlmann, who retired from his work as a psychiatrist a year ago, wondered what he would do with his time.

“I hit upon the idea of making some presentations to schools here in Powell River,” said Uhlmann. “I thought of going into schools, talking to the students about my family, and making sure I avoided all current political issues.

“I come in and say, ‘okay, I’m Jewish. My family lived for centuries in Germany, and I will give you some history of the family.’ I tell the students what happened to my family, how things have changed over time, and how things are getting better with reconciliation.”

Uhlmann said he has spoken to grade six and seven students in elementary schools here, as well as having spoken to several classes at Brooks Secondary School. Then, he went over to Vancouver Island and spoke to grade sixes and sevens over there.

“The response I receive from the teachers is very enthusiastic, welcoming and appreciative, and the response from students has been great,” said Uhlmann.

He said each presentation to students is different, largely because of the different questions that students ask.

Uhlmann has assembled a large collection of photographs, both old and new, that he projects during his presentations in the classrooms. His presentation starts with a group photo of his parents and relatives at his parents’ marriage.

Uhlmann points out a number of family members and tells stories about them. One of the people in the photo is one of his grandmothers.

“She ended up in a concentration camp and was murdered in the concentration camp,” said Uhlmann. “I also mention my aunt, my father’s younger sister, who was married and had two children, who was taken to Warsaw and died in a Warsaw ghetto.”

Other family members were more fortunate. Uhlmann points to a family member who was taken to a concentration camp but managed to be bought out. He travelled to the United States and became a US citizen, joining the US army. Another uncle managed to escape and get to San Francisco.

Uhlmann also mentions his two Jewish uncles who died in the First World War, serving with the German armed forces.

“So, I mention that my grandmother’s sons died fighting for the Germans, and she ends up in a German concentration camp,” said Uhlmann.

He also shows photographs of places like the house where his father grew up, which is still standing and occupied.

“We knocked on the door and said hello to the fellow,” said Uhlmann. “I hope he didn’t think we were trying to take the house back.”

Uhlmann’s photographs also take on a more sombre note, going past memorials to Jewish people who were killed, cemeteries, commemorative walls with thousands of names of Jewish people who died as a result of the holocaust, and finally, a concentration camp at Thereisienstadt, where his grandmother died. He also shows a photo of the grave of young diarist Anne Frank and her sister Margot. Anne died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the age of 16. He then shows a photo of a mass grave in which Jewish people were buried.

Uhlmann’s parents and his brothers were able to escape the fate of some of his other family members. Uhlmann’s father, a physician and professor, quit his job in Germany when Adolph Hitler became Germany’s chancellor.

“They chose to leave Germany,” said Uhlmann. “They travelled around Europe and into Türkiye and my father had various jobs as a physician.”

Uhlmann’s father ended up being invited to a conference in Chicago and was later invited by a hospital to join the staff. So, in 1938, the Uhlmanns moved to Chicago, where Peter was born.

Uhlmann said it is important to keep the story of the holocaust alive. Any teacher wanting Uhlmann to bring his presentation to their classroom can contact him at [email protected].

Uhlmann will also be giving his presentation to the public. It will be at 2 pm on May 31 at Powell River Public Library.

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