Pupils mark start of Haringey's Holocaust Memorial Day events

Children from Earlham Primary School, in Earlham Grove, Wood Green, helped open the Windermere Boys exhibition at Hornsey Library today with their artwork showing their idea of paradise.

The exhibition tells the story of 300 Jewish children from concentration camps in Germany and Poland who were taken to the Lake District to recuperate after the war.

The survivors thought the corner of Cumbria was paradise and the children of Earlham Primary were given the task of painting their own version.

This year’s Holocaust Memorial events are dedicated to Roman Halter, who lived in Muswell Hill and who was one of those survivors who spent time in the Lakes.

His wife Susie Halter, 85, also escaped the horrors of the Holocaust and was at the opening of the exhibition and helped judge the winners of the school’s competition.

She said: “This exhibition is so moving and I know it was such an important part of Roman’s life.

“When he and the others arrived in Windermere they really did think it was paradise. After what they had been through and what they had seen it must have been a big change.

“I think it is really important to for children to know about what happened and what Roman promised his grandfather: that when he got through the war he would tell the world about what happened.”

Mr Halter was 12-years-old when the war started and in 1944 he was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp.

After being moved around during the last year of the war he was taken to the Calgarth Estate near Windermere in August 1945 where he swam and recovered from the horrors of the Holocaust.

The exhibition has been organised by Haringey Borough Council, which will be hosting a number of events.

On Sunday January 27 there will be a multi-faith ceremony at Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham at 2pm, at which councillors and religious leaders will join together to remember those who died.