HISTORY enthusiasts at Belmont Academy had the chance to speak to a Holocaust survivor who visited the school last week.

Joanna Millan was born Bela Rosenthal in August 1942 in Berlin. 
According to the Holocaust Educational Trust in February 1943, Bela’s father was taken from the streets of Berlin and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau where he was murdered on arrival. 

In June 1943, Bela and her mother were taken from their home and sent to the Terezín (Theresienstadt) Ghetto north of Prague. 

In 1944, when Bela was 18 months old, her mother contracted tuberculosis due to the conditions in the camp, leaving Bela orphaned and alone in the camp.

On May 3, 1945, the Red Cross took over control of the camp and Bela was liberated by the Soviets six days later.

On August 15 along with 299 other surviving orphans, Bela was rescued and flown to England. 

When they arrived there were in fact 301 children including a little boy who had stowed away. 

After living in two children’s home with other child survivors, Bela was adopted by a childless Jewish couple from London. 

Her name was changed to Joanna, and she was told to forget her past and forbidden to contact the other child survivors. 

Her adopted parents pretended that she was their natural daughter and told her to keep her identity secret.

Joanna attended Belmont Academy last Tuesday, March 6 and told a group of pupils about her life and how she found out about her past and true identity.

The pupils learned how Joanna was contacted by Sarah Moskovitz, an American academic, for her story when she was about 40-years-old and has been learning about her past ever since.

She has also discovered living relatives all over the world.


Joanna’s testimony can be found in books and films including:
Love Despite the Hate by Sarah Moskovitz;
Survival: Holocaust Survivors Tell Their Story, published by the Holocaust Centre;
The Children of Bulldogs Bank -a film.