A NATIVE oak tree will be planted in the grounds of Dawlish’s Orchard Manor School on Holocaust Memorial Day.

The tree planting on January 27 is part of a nationwide campaign to mark the 80th anniversary of the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) – the national charity providing social and welfare services to Holocaust refugees and survivors in the UK.

80 Trees for 80 Years will see native oak trees planted around Britain in honour of people and places that symbolise the enormous contribution made to every walk of British life by refugees who escaped from Nazi Europe.

Alex Caven, Orchard Manor School PHSE lead, put the school forward as we celebrate Holocaust Memorial Day and students have been to Poland to visit Auschwitz.

A school spokesperson said: ‘We are also lucky enough to have beautiful grounds with lots of trees which makes it a beautiful site to have such an important reminder.

‘The tree has been sponsored by Vera Schaufeld in honour of her husband Avram Schaufeld who was born on 30 April 1926 in Chorzów, Poland.’

Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Avram and his family suffered increasing persecution, including use as slave labour. Eventually, Avram was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and from there to its subcamp of Blechhammer.

As the Red Army advanced in early 1945, Avram and his fellow prisoners were sent on a death march to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany and then its subcamp Langenstein-Zwieberge, where he was liberated on 11 April 1945. Avram was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust.

‘We are extremely proud to have been chosen as one of only 80 places across the UK to plant this tree,’ said the spokesperson.

‘It will act as a platform for telling the story of Britain’s Jewish refugees and celebrating their remarkable contribution to British life.

‘It will also form part of The Queen’s Green Canopy – the unique tree planting initiative which will mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, whose organisers have adopted the AJR’s project as a ‘wonderful initiative’.

‘As well as helping to mark the heritage of our members and a place of historic interest associated with them, the planting of this tree enables the AJR to give back to and create a living legacy within the country that became home to the Jewish refugees,’ said AJR CEO, Michael Newman OBE.

‘Britain’s native oak trees are in decline and new trees are desperately needed. We hope these 80 special trees will be appreciated by future generations and provide natural habitats for other native species for many decades to come.’