By Ethan Manera on the NZ Herald…
At 103, New Zealand’s oldest Holocaust survivor Rachelle Calkoen has lived through Nazi occupation, hiding her Jewish heritage and surviving for years under a stolen identity.
Now, the Dutch-born New Zealander is sharing her story with a new generation to warn of the harms of intolerance – and has found an unlikely new “bestie” along the way.
Calkoen joined a film project about child Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives in New Zealand, to teach Year 7–10 students about standing up against hatred and preventing discrimination and prejudice.
The project is led by the Holocaust Centre and funded by the Ministry for Ethnic Communities.
It was through filming We Were Just Children that Calkoen met 17-year-old Bulls high school student Eva Dreliozis, who also features in the film.
Read the full story on the NZ Herald HERE. And watch Rachelle Calkoen sharing her story HERE.
