Over the years I have read many books  about the holocaust – trying to make sense or in some way understand the most evil event in history.  But I have never heard a first hand account of what it was like to live through those years and survive 2 concentration camps.

I was recently incredibly priveleged to spend the afternoon with Renee Salt – an 85 year old holocaust survivor. She was just 10 years old when the Nazis rolled into Poland. Over the next 6 years they were to murder most of her family.

She was so traumatised by what happened to her – she simply couldn’t talk about it for 50 years. Not to her husband or her two children nor when they came along – her grandchildren.

But at the age of 65 she says she realised she had a responsibility. A responsibility to the millions who were killed to tell her story – to speak out about the evils inflicted upon her and countless others. She has never sought to understand why because she says there is no explanation – but she is determined to do what she can to make sure nothing like this  ever happens again. Even though she is now old and frail, she says while she still can she will carry on visiting schools and talking at charity events to tell her story.

She says every day she thanks God she is alive because she knows she survived against all the odds.

I spent several hours with Renee and during that time as she recounted what happened to her I could see she was reliving every moment. She was visibly distressed but insisted on carrying on.

I feel truly honoured to have met such a courageous person and grateful that she told me her story so that I too can pass it onto others.

Read the full article by clicking here: http://news.sky.com/story/1414381/no-kiss-he-just-vanished-auschwitz-survivor