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Study tour members meet with local students and vow to hand down memories of war

by Uzaemonnaotsuka Tokai, Staff Writer

OSWIECIM, POLAND—Eight high school and university students from the Hiroshima area visiting Poland, a trip to Europe sponsored by the Hiroshima Peace Creation Fund to learn about the Holocaust, the genocide of the Jewish people by Nazi Germany, met with local high school and university students on March 24. They exchanged views on the importance of learning about the tragedies of the atomic bombings and war and passing on what they have learned to future generations.

Ten local high school and university students took part in the meeting. Following their self-introductions, the students from Hiroshima described what they felt after visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp and asked the local students what they think should be done to ensure that this tragedy is never repeated.

The Polish students replied, “As the generation who experienced the war grows smaller, the false perception that ‘the Holocaust was not a crime committed by Germany’ has evolved. Succeeding generations have to learn much more about history.” They also said, “It’s important to make efforts to take a stand against war at events like concerts.”

Yuriko Tsuchie, 19, a freshman at Hiroshima University, said, “Like Hiroshima, Poland has experienced the suffering of war, and we should hand down to future generations the tragedy of war and devise activities through which we can learn from each other.”

The tour group members visited the mayor of Oswiecim the next day at Oswiecim City Hall to deliver a message from the president of Mayors for Peace.

The group will now travel to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, to visit the house where Anne Frank (1929-1945) and her family hid from the Nazis.

(Originally published on March 26, 2015)

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