The One Show viewers were left in tears after Robert Rinder shared his family’s tragic Holocaust history during last night’s show (Thursday, January 27).
Rob‘s heartfelt tribute to his family came on Holocaust Memorial Day.
Robert Rinder’s Holocaust film
During last night’s edition of The One Show, a segment of Rob’s documentary, in which he spoke to Auschwitz survivor, Lily, was shown.
At the beginning of the segment, Rob revealed to the audience that he is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor.
Rob then went to meet Lily Ebert, a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor, and her family in London. Lily is one of the last survivors of Auschwitz and shared her story with Rob.
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At the end of the segment, Alex Jones thanked the barrister for making the documentary.
“Oh, Rob, difficult for you to watch that back, bless you, isn’t it,” she said. She then asked him to explain to viewers his background and his connection to the Holocaust.
“I had the gift of the presence of a Holocaust survivor – my grandfather – who was a central force in my family,” Rob said.
“But I only knew a little bit,” he went on.
Rob Rinder’s tribute
Rob, 43, continued discussing his grandfather and his family.
“When someone has been through that much trauma, the story never unfolds in one narrative,” he said. “It exists in quiet whispers around them, or perhaps in the presence of a scar, or perhaps in the way they behave, and that was certainly true of my grandfather.
He continued, saying: “It wasn’t really until he passed away that those bits of the jigsaw were put together.”
The barrister went on to say that though his grandfather passed in “some comfort”, there was still “food wrapped in serviettes and books about the Third Reich” around the place.
“He understood some limited sense of who he was but he could never really fully understand the depth of range of his trauma,” he continued. “And of course, that’s true for so many of the survivors.
“To be able to listen and to hear his story and learn more after he passed away, to learn the names of his four sisters, his parents and his brother who were murdered in Treblinka death camp, and to go there and just have one sentence to describe who they were…it breathed new life into them.
“It is critical to remember each and every one of them.”
What did viewers say?
Viewers felt blown away by how emotional Rob’s tribute was, and took to Twitter to praise the 43-year-old.
One tweeted Rob: “I saw you tonight on The One Show and you brought me to tears. I bless you.”
“Thank you @RobbieRinder #TheOneShow you speak wonderfully and we won’t forget. We are a witness,” another said.
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A third tweeted: “I watched a program last night about a holocaust survivor talking to young people in school – the change in them after listening to the survivor’s story was incredible – I had tears in my eyes watching and listening to it.”
Another said: “In tears at #TheOneShow & Lili.”
One told Rob: “Saw you on The One Show. Very moving. We lit a candle.”
Robert Rinder’s documentary, My Family, the Holocaust, and Me is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
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