England's football stars feature in Holocaust education film for schools

Such is the evidently unimaginable scale and horror of the Holocaust it may seem anomalous to require the modern stardust of Premier League footballers to make it relevant for children. However, with the events now almost 70 years in the past, the UK's foremost group connected to educating people about the genocide is hoping the tactic will raise awareness among younger people.
In the wake of a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland by members of the England squad before the Euro 2012 finals, the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) has teamed up with the FA to produce a film for schools in which players such as Steven Gerrard and Joe Hart discuss the impact of their visit.
A DVD will be sent to English secondary schools along with other teaching materials, as part of a long-term HET programme under which Holocaust survivors speak to more than 60,000 UK students a year.
The seven-and-a-half minute film explains the context of the Holocaust before detailing the appalling events and their impact on Europe's Jews and other minorities.
England players including the Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart said they were greatly affected by a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp during Euro 2012. Photograph: Michael Regan/PA The stark contrast with footage of tanned, tracksuited footballers is leavened by the evident impact of the Auschwitz visit on the players. Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka and the England manager, Roy Hodgson, join Gerrard and Hart in recounting how they were particularly affected by meeting survivors of the camp, some of whom also speak in the film.
Karen Pollock, chief executive of HET, which successfully campaigned to have compulsory study of the Holocaust added to the national curriculum 20 years ago, said the group was happy to get the assistance of the players and the FA. "Their support and commitment will enable so many more young people to engage with the Holocaust and build an educational legacy for young people in schools across England," she said.
The chairman of the FA, David Bernstein, who was to visit a school in north London on Monday, said he was proud of the involvement of Hodgson and the players. "There are so many lessons to be learnt and understood, and we believe football can play its part in encouraging society to speak out against intolerance in all its forms."

Source: guardian.co.uk

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