A new education programme has been established following the October 2 Heaton park synagogue attack
Jewish Mancunians’ extraordinary contribution to Greater Manchester will be taught in schools following the Heaton Park synagogue terror attack.
‘Sanctuary Through Story’ aims to teach children about antisemitism, prejudice, and the importance of mutual respect. Youngsters in Manchester, Bury, and Salford will be told Holocaust survivors’ stories and learn about Jewish Mancs’ legacies — including those of Ike Alterman and Anne Super.
Ike, who died last month aged 97, survived four concentration camps in the Holocaust, including Auschwitz-Birkenau. After he was liberated, he was taken to the Lake District to adjust to life in Britain.
As an adult, he earned a British Empire Medal for Holocaust education and became one of Manchester’s most revered master jewellers, ‘making Manchester the great city it is’.
“After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust I never thought I would be shown such kindness and tolerance again, but I found it here, in Great Britain,” he reflected before his passing.
“I know better than anyone what the hatred of other religions and minorities leads to. Hate is a disease which must be stamped out. And we must ensure we are kind, tolerant and welcoming to everyone who lives in our great country.”
Anne Super was pushed through a hedge by her mother in 1941 to save her from the SS, who murdered her parents in concentration camps. She spent the Second World War as a ‘hidden child’, largely being cared for by a milkwoman in rural Poland and her uncle in Warsaw.
Once conflict ended, she built a life in South Africa, then came to Manchester in 1978 to establish an opticians in Cheetham Hill. She remains determined to live her life to the fullest.
She said: “My real parents died having had no other children. Neither of them reached 30. They were simply robbed of their life. That was all the life they were allowed.
“All that’s left is me, and I’ve always had this feeling that I’ve got to live everything; I have to experience it, I have to think it, I have to see it, I have to hear it.
“I’ve lived every minute of my life. I have had to, because my parents never could, and no other children that they could make ever could, so everything is on me.”
The ‘Sanctuary Through Story’ programme has been introduced in response to the Heaton Park Shul terror attack on October 2, which killed two Jewish men — Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Three months on, city leaders say ‘now, more than ever, it is vital that as a city, we close ranks against those who seek to divide us’.
“The horrific antisemitic attack in our city in October reminds us that the lessons of the past cannot be forgotten which is why we are proud to support the launch of this new initiative, sharing the messages of the Holocaust with the next generation and ensuring that the people who survived its horrors are not forgotten,” continued Bev Craig.
Raphi Bloom, director of The Federation of Jewish Services, added: “After the attack on Heaton Park Synagogue, our classrooms must be places where respect is learned and lived.
“By offering this resource free to schools and supporting teachers to use it well, The Fed’s My Voice Project is helping pupils recognise difference as a strength and step up as allies for one another.”
Schools can sign up to the programme through their council now, with resources available from January 26.
