Rachel Riley breaks down over fears of ‘explaining Holocaust’ to kids

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

The Countdown host, 37, who shares two young daughters with husband Pasha Kovalev, 43, broke down in tears as she spoke to Hannah in an interview organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust, ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day. Rachel Riley, whose mother is Jewish, began worrying about the prospect of explaining the tragedy to her children, Noa and Maven, in the future.

The mathematician told Hannah Lewis: “I think I’ve known, you know, growing up in a Jewish family, I can’t remember a time I didn’t know about the Holocaust.

“And as a child, you hear the stories about the children and you might be able to empathise slightly with the children and as I’ve become a mother, you think about it – it’s a different thing.

“And you feel it from different angles, the different people that suffered at different times of their lives.

“And I’m just wondering how you, I’m kind of facing these questions now, where you’re thinking, how am I ever going to explain this to my children?

“How do you explain it to people?” She added emotionally.

Hannah then shared her own experiences as a mother with Rachel, saying: “Well, when I was really sure that everything that I remembered was as I remembered and not a figment of my imagination or something I heard, and my children were older, I sat them down and I told them.”

Rachel went on to ask whether Hannah’s children had “lots of questions” about her memories of going through the Holocaust.

Hannah replied: “I think they absorbed it. It obviously damaged me.

 

“But I think survivors are quite resilient.”

Rachel shared the emotional moment from the interview with Hannah in view of her 694,000 followers.

She wrote alongside the video: “Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day I had the privilege of chatting with survivor Hannah Lewis MBE about her experiences.

“Her story is horrific but her resilience is astounding.”

DON’T MISS:
Michael Bublé opens up in ‘tough’ video as he ‘leaves wife and kids’ 
Piers Morgan sparks divide over ‘playing the victim’ remark 
Denise Welch hits back as viewer says ‘enough is enough’

During World War II, in 1943, Hannah and her family were marched to a labour camp in a village called Adampol which was a few miles from her home in Włodawa, Poland.

Over time, most of Hannah’s family tragically disappeared at the hands of the Nazis, while her father and his cousin managed to escape and joined the partisans.

Hannah remained in the camp after her mother was shot, until she was finally freed by a Soviet soldier who picked her out of a trench.

Hannah has since been sharing her experiences in schools and universities to educate young people on the Holocaust.

Rachel, meanwhile, was awarded an MBE for her services to Holocaust education in the King’s New Year’s Honours List.

The Channel 4 presenter said she shares her MBE with those “fighting anti-Jewish racism”.

Last year, when her MBE was announced, she tweeted: “Incredibly proud to have just been awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust education.

“This is very much shared with so many people who also dedicate their time and energy to fighting anti-Jewish racism.”

The Holocaust Educational Trust works in schools, colleges, workplaces and communities across the UK, ensuring that everyone everywhere has the opportunity to learn about the Holocaust. Find out more about the work of the Trust at www.het.org.uk

Source: Read Full Article