Students started by researching individuals connected to both the Holocaust and Aberdeen. Using the UK Holocaust Map they discovered Erika Schulhof, who had arrived in Aberdeen, aged ten, on the Kindertransport. To find out more about her life, students used a range of different primary and secondary sources including newspaper articles and photographs, plus Erika’s own memoir and poetry.

Students were surprised that someone with such a direct link to the Holocaust had lived so near them and the project helped students understand how the events of the Holocaust both impacted upon and now connect many countries around the world. Reading the news articles of the time also challenged pupils understanding that Britian did not know about the Holocaust until after the war.

Students made a presentation sharing the research uncovered and describing Erika’s life in Aberdeen. One student wanted to make a commemorative candleholder to represent Erika’s unique story, while also highlighting the wider impact of the Holocaust. The candleholder is based on the Kindertransport train with six candles and accompanied by a case with a luggage tag and the poem Erika wrote. ​

Students will share their research with the wider community at a school led event for Holocaust Memorial Day in January 2025. At this event students will exhibit the candleholder and share what they have learnt about the Kindertransport and the life of Erika Schulhof.