THE spirit of courage - and tolerance - which underlies the Anne Frank exhibition at Worcester Cathedral has found another outlet in our columns today.

On Page 21, Mike Pryce's interview with Paul Oppenheimer speaks volumes for the dignity which millions displayed even as they were being crushed under the Nazi jackboot.

He describes his family as being "lucky" because, due to their British connections, they were not sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Instead they were held at Belsen, with the Germans hoping to use them in swap deals with the Allies.

Paul, his brother and sister did survive - but their parents died from disease amid the horrors of Belsen.

At the heart of his story lies the same truth that is at the core of the Anne Frank exhibition - that ordinary people try to lead decent lives in the most appalling of circumstances.

"At first nothing happened, but slowly the persecution of the Jews began to creep in," he says. "They always gave very good reasons for what they were doing and my father, working in a bank and used to doing things properly, readily complied."

German people, too, were caught in the madness.

"Do I hate the Germans?" he says. "No. But I hate the Nazis. It must have been very difficult for ordinary German people, because they were virtually forced to join the Nazi party."

For years, Paul preferred not to talk about those years, but now gives lectures about his experiences.

At a time when a spirit of mutual respect and human rights needs to be reflected throughout the world, his talk at Worcester's Huntingdon Hall on Tuesday, January 22, is not one to be missed.