Holocaust Survivor Shares Testimony with Leeds Students
November 13, 2025Leeds College of Building hosts powerful witness to history
Students from the English department at Leeds College of Building recently had the opportunity to hear a firsthand account of life during the Holocaust from Tomi Komoly, a survivor born in Budapest in 1936. The event provided a rare insight into the experiences of Jewish families in Hungary during the Second World War and the years that followed.
Life under Nazi-allied Hungary
Tomi Komoly was born into a Jewish family in Budapest and lived with his parents, Alfréd and Margit. His family name was originally Kohn but was changed to Komoly before his birth in an attempt to avoid widespread anti-Jewish prejudice in Hungary during the interwar period. From 1938, the Hungarian government introduced a series of anti-Jewish laws and economic restrictions that severely impacted Jewish citizens.
As a result of these laws, Tomi’s father was forced to relinquish his business and the family lost their income. In 1943, Alfréd Komoly was conscripted into a forced labour battalion on the Russian front, where he was subjected to manual labour. After attempting to visit his family by bribing a commander, he was arrested and never seen again.
Survival and liberation
In late 1944, Tomi and his mother went into hiding in a cellar belonging to a family friend in Budapest. They remained concealed there until the Soviet army liberated the city in January 1945. Following the war, Tomi lived under Communist rule in Hungary before fleeing to a refugee camp in Vienna.
He later secured a scholarship to study in the United Kingdom, arriving in March 1957. His mother joined him in the UK in 1964. Tomi Komoly has lived in the UK since then and was awarded a British Empire Medal in 2020 for his work in Holocaust education and awareness.
Educational impact
The visit was organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET), which aims to educate young people about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance. Following Tomi Komoly’s talk, students engaged in a question and answer session, gaining further understanding of his experiences during and after the war.
Menna Bailey, Head of English at the college, said the event was a valuable part of the students’ GCSE studies on the theme of war, offering a personal perspective that encourages reflection on history and community.
About the Holocaust Educational Trust
The Holocaust Educational Trust was established in 1988 to promote awareness and understanding of the Holocaust in schools across the UK. Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Trust, highlighted the importance of survivor testimony in educating young people about the dangers of antisemitism and hatred.
