Survivors tell their stories
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For nearly 60 years, Dubliner Tomi Reichental stayed silent about his nightmarish experiences in the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.
But more recently, the retired businessman has spoken out about the horrors of the camps.
The son of a Slovakian farmer feels a particular responsibility to inform young people about the Holocaust, and now regularly visits schools to give talks.
Recently, he was featured in an RTE documentary I Was A Boy In Belsen.
"Until three-and-a-half years ago, I hardly talked about what happened to me at all, but I was asked to talk about it at my grandson's school.
"So little was taught about the Holocaust in Ireland, apart from a small amount in history.
"That has changed as a result of Lynn Jackson's work with the Holocaust Educational Trust.
"I feel it is my duty as one of the last survivors to inform young people about the horrors of what happened."
Up to 70,000 people died in Bergen-Belsen, mostly from starvation, cold and disease. Some were beaten to death by the SS guards.
Lynn Jackson, of the Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland, says there is now a big demand for the survivors to speak all over Ireland.
"The response by schools and their teachers has been phenomenal,'' she said.
