A POP UP exhibition heading to Sunderland on 25th January will offer a unique insight into the Holocaust through the eyes of children.

The Bridges shopping centre will host Children Under the Nazis on 24th and 25th January, ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27th January.

A collection of drawings, essays and testimonials collected in the early post-war era will be on display across 10 banner stands at the centre’s Walworth Way North.

And the exhibition – curated by Dr Beate Müller, Reader in Modern German Studies at Newcastle University, in collaboration with the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation – features first-hand accounts from young people, including those who were Jewish, handicapped, Roma and Sinti, and German Hitler Youth.

Andy Bradley, centre director at the Bridges, hopes people will take the time to visit the display.

“We’re really looking forward to hosting such an important exhibition, which offers a rare glimpse into the lives of children who lived through such unimaginable conditions.

“The first-hand accounts are incredibly powerful and it is certainly an exhibition that will leave a lasting impact on those who visit.”

Dr Beate Müller said: “When we engage with the Holocaust, it’s often the actions and decisions taken by adults that we focus on, be they victims, perpetrators, or bystanders, but millions of children were also affected by Nazi rule.

“I believe it’s important to listen to children’s voices from the time in order to reflect on what persecution, exploitation, forced migration, families torn apart, slave labour, hunger, abuse, fear of death, and war truly mean for the most innocent of victims: children.

“Hopefully, such warnings from history will help us prevent future genocides, wars, and related human rights violations.”

For more information about the Bridges, visit www.thebridges-shopping.com

The exhibition can be borrowed free of charge for educational purposes and more information can be found at http://teaching.ncl.ac.uk/childrenunderthenazis/