PUPILS from secondary schools across Wirral are gathering at the Floral Pavilion today to hear testimony from Holocaust survivor Joanna Millan.

The commemoration event on Holocaust Memorial Day - Wednesday, January 27 - will include a presentation from students who have recently visited Auschwitz.

Other pupils will make the Statement of Commitment while Yahrtzeit Candles are lit in memory of the dead.

Joanna, who also addressed Wirral’s Holocaust commemoration last year, was born Bela Rosenthal in August 1942 in Berlin.

In June 1943, Bela and her mother were taken from their home and sent to the Theresienstadt ghetto, where her mother contracted TB, leaving Bela alone in the camp.

After liberation Bela along with five other orphans were flown to England where she was adopted by a Jewish couple living in London.

They decided it would be better for Bela to have a less German-sounding name so it was changed to Joanna.

Deputy mayor of Wirral Cllr Pat Hackett will welcome her back to the New Brighton commemoration.

“It is a privilege for us to welcome Joanna Millan to Wirral and her testimony will remain a powerful reminder of the horrors so many experienced, " he said.

"We are grateful to the Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we hope that by hearing Joanna’s testimony it will encourage our students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make a positive difference in their own lives.”

Karen Pollock, trust chief executive, said: “The Holocaust Educational Trust educates and engages students from across the UK, from all communities about the Holocaust and there can be no better way than through the first-hand testimony of a survivor.

"Joanna’s story is one of tremendous courage during horrific circumstances and by hearing her testimony, students will have the opportunity to learn where prejudice and racism can ultimately lead.

"In the light of recent events, this year’s HET theme 'Don’t Stand By' is particularly relevant."