IN our lives, there are times when we have to make a stand.

We have to stand up against the bully; we have to stand up against injustice and we have to take a stand even if others will not stand beside us.

One of the people in history who took a stand was a teacher called Leonore Goldschmidt.

She did not stand up at a time when she would receive support or when it was safe to do so, no she stood up against the Nazis.

She had to battle against the Nazi party and its officals and had to battle against people and countries who would not help the Jews get out of Germany and settle in a safe haven.

In 1933, Leonore was sacked as a teacher. Not for being bad but sacked under a new law called the Restoration of the professional Civil Service.

This allowed a Jewish teacher like herself to be sacked or got rid of because they were Jewish.

By 1934, the Nazi Party was encourgaing and the following year in September 15, 1935 passed The Nuremberg Laws (German: Nürnberger Gesetze) which were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany.

Amidts all this Leonore Goldschmidt made her stand.

And the story of what she did can be seen in a UK premiere on PBS America on Monday, January 8, in a documentary called The Teacher Who Defied Hitler.

You see how even in a state which was totally antisemitic, Leonore found a loop hold in the law and was able to open a private Jewish school teaching 25 Jewish students in Berlin.

For those students it was an oasis, a place to be safe while outside the walls the terror of Nazism was unfolding.

Even though Leonore stayed one step ahead of what the Nazis were doing, in the end she had to flea Germany and open up a new school in Folkestone in Kent.

You have probably not read about Leonore Goldschmidt in any of the history books you have read, so this is your chance to listen to and learn about her heroic exploits.

It is a heart warming story of how a teacher wanted the best for her pupils, wanted them to enjoy learning in order ot better themselves and their lives but who in the end was responsible for saving their lives.

The Teacher who Defied Hitler is on PBS America at 9pm on Monday, January 8.

PBS America can be found on Freeview 94; Sky 534; Virgin Meida 276 and Freesat 155.