P7 and World War Two

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• How many people were killed?
• When was WW2?
• How long did it go on for?
• Who were the King and Queen?
• How many things were destroyed?
• Why did the war start?
• What other countries took part?
• Did they have bomb shelters?
• How many people survived?
• Who won the war?
• Who was the Prime Minister?
• What was The Blitz?
• What was Rationing?

Ernest Levy is one of the survivors from the WW2. He is a very special man because he was one of a few people to survive a concentration camp but he is more special because he survived seven! He went to concentration camps because he was a Jew. Jews were known by the Germans very very bad people, so they worked as slaves for the Germans in the camps. If they didn’t do something properly they were beaten up. Ernest was born in Bratislava in 1925, a few years before the war then died on the 22nd of August 2009 at the age of 84.

His fathers name was Leopold, he was a business man and a cantor, he is one of them that died in a concentration camp. Ernest’s mother was called Tirtza she was from the Netherlands. Ernest was the youngest of eight children, a brother and a sister was killed in a concentration camp and he had a sister Lilly who is still alive today.

The first time he went to a concentration camp he was nine-teen years old. When he was taken to another concentration camp, it was called Auschwitz. He said they poured in like a sack of potatoes. Ernest described it ”A living HELL”.1945 in January Allies found him in Belsen in an open mass grave almost dead. Through the concentration camps Ernest found a sardine tin that one of the guards tossed away, he found oil in the tin and he could have drunk the oil, since they were all starved, to give him some food but he took it back to his cabin and lit the oil and every one prayed for hope.

After WW2 he worked as a mechanic because he studied engineering before the war. In 1960 he graduated as a professional cantor in Hungary. Ernest lived and worked in Tel Aviv as a part-time cantor and a light engineer. He moved to Glasgow, in Scotland, in 1961. Ernest became a cantor of Pollockshields synagogue and met his wife Kathy Freeman and married in 1965. Ernest recognized his wife from a concentration camp, so she was a survivor too. Then he wrote two books about his experience of his life, and got an OBE in 2002. In 2007 he lit the same sardine tin in the Scottish Parliament because he wanted people to know what happened to the Jews so it would never happen again.

Today Ernest Levy is Known and loved by people because he is brave, interesting, inspirational and an amazing role model.

Ernest Levy was born in Bratislava, when he was younger it was part of Czechoslovakia, on the 13th of January 1925 to Leopold and Tirtza. Ernest was the youngest of 8 children, some were killed before the concentration camps, some were killed in the concentration camps along with their father but him and his sister Lilly survived it, Lilly is still alive today.

Ernest Levy was an important man because he survived 7 concentration camps, he was found barely alive in a mass open grave in Belsen by Allies at the end of the WWII.

He became a cantor, like his father, in Hungary in 1960 and moved to Scotland in 1961 to be the cantor in Pollockshields. Just One More Dance and The Single Light are books of his experiences of his camp life and was awarded an OBE in 2002 for his interfaith work.

He was an inspirational and interesting man to all.

Ernest Levy was born on the 13th January 1925 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately he died on the 22nd August 2009 in Glasgow at the age of 84. Ernest was Jewish and survived seven of the German Nazi concentration camps during World War 2.

Ernest’s father was Hungarian and was a business man. He was also a Cantor.
He was named Leopold Levy. Sadly he too died in a concentration camp during the war. Tirtza, Ernest’s mother was from the Netherlands. She had 8 children and Ernest was the youngest of them all. A brother and sister of his were killed in a concentration camp. One of his other sisters, Lilly, is still alive today.

Ernest was found out that he was Jewish at the start of the World War when his “best friend” sold him to the Nazis. Ernest was only 19 at the time. He was taken to Auschwitz. He described them being poured out like a sack of potatoes when they got there .His seventh concentration camp was called Belsen. Ernest believed in hope, a soldier of the Germans dropped a sardine can, Ernest picked it up and lit it. In January 1945 the Allies found Ernest in a grave the size of an Olympic swimming pool, barely alive.

After the war Ernest worked as a mechanic as before the war he studied engineering. In 1960 Ernest graduated as a professional cantor in Hungary. At the time he lived in Tel Aviv and worked as a light engineer and a part-time cantor. In 1961 Ernest moved to Glasgow, Scotland. He became the cantor of Pollockshields synagogue. in 1965 he met Kathy Freeman, she was also a survivor of the concentration camps and they married. Also in his lifetime Ernest wrote two books on his life in the torture of the Germans concentration camps. He was awarded an OBE in 2002 and in 2007 he lit the same sardine can he found in Belsen at the Scottish parliament. As he wanted people to remember what had happened to Jews to make sure it never happened again.

Today we remember Ernest as inspirational man. A role model as he has really been there.

We have created a blitz on our wall, we have watched a video called Carrie’s war. Our class novel is The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. We’ve made biographies and newspapers. Check back soon for more info and photographs. Chloe.E, Natalie and Lauran.

P7 are currently learning all about World War Two.   We will add our research work to this Blog.  If you have any questions or answers to help us along our way please feel free to leave them in the comments box.   Thank you!