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Survivor/Student Activities
Mr. Philip Kirschner, Esq.,
Chairman, New Jersey Commission on
Holocaust Education and
President, New Jersey Business and
Industry Association
Dr. Paul B. Winkler,
Executive Director, New Jersey
Commission on Holocaust Education
Imagine, Holocaust survivors
attending their own special senior prom,
participating in a high school
graduation program, sitting for a
personalized portrait, participating in
an adoption program, a writing seminar a
Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony and lunch
program. These are a few of the
activities Holocaust survivors and
students participated in during the past
school year (2004/05) that they were
denied during their own teenage years.
About 1˝ years ago, the New Jersey
Commission on Holocaust Education made a
decision to actively support, encourage
and initiate activities that would bring
students and survivors together in
meaningful, personal and educational
settings. As stated by Commission
Chairperson, Philip Kirschner, "when
students interact closely with a
survivor, the level of caring, learning
and understanding is unmatched and the
lesson will impact the students all
their lives in a positive way".
The state network of Holocaust Centers
and concerned individuals in New Jersey
were contacted about the decision and
commitment of the Commission to
encourage this activity, and as a
result, many of the activities listed
were initiated and implemented.
The plan for the future is to present
these ideas to schools and Holocaust
Centers for replication and or
initiation of new ideas.
Each of the activities listed below
allowed students to interact with the
survivors in very meaningful
experiences.
Mary Vasquez, a
teacher at Millburn Middle School,
and Barbara Wind of the Metro West
Federation Holocaust Resource Center
initiated the idea after the
survivors commented that they never
participated in their senior high
school dance. The activity was a
cooperative endeavor of the
students, survivors, community,
school and Holocaust Center.
Students and survivors worked
together on all committees and
details in planning the dance under
the guidance of the teacher Ms.
Vasquez. The prom was held at a
local catering hall and was attended
by over 250 survivors and guests.
This program was a
cooperative program between the
Atlantic County Technical High
School and the Holocaust Resource
Center of the Richard Stockton
College of New Jersey. Survivors
received certificates of
accomplishment for work in their
chosen field. Prior to their
receiving the awards survivors were
paired with students who were
learning similar fields to the
survivor's life experiences. The
students and survivor developed
closer relationships through the
activities which included lunches,
classroom and work settings and
culminated in the graduation
ceremony. Some of the fields
represented included:
- Photo
Journalist/Newspaper
Columnist/Artist/Educator
- Chicken
Farmer/Hotel Owner and Operator
- Hotel and
Restaurant Owner/Operator and Wig
Maker
- Interior
Decorator/Court Room
Interpreter/Educator/Author
- Wholesale
Merchandise (dry goods) Owner
- Home Furnishings
and Gift Store Owner
- Medical
Secretary/Author/Speaker
- Jeweler
This was a
cooperative project of the Jewish
Family Service Café Europa Program
and survivors in their areas.
Students were invited to the lunch
program and actively engaged in
conversation during lunch. Many of
the conversations led to survivors
attending the student's classes and
follow-up conversations.
Students of the
West Windsor School District
journalism classes were grouped with
survivors for the purpose of hearing
and writing their stories. The
activity continued over six months
with individual discussions and many
follow-up activities. The student's
writings of the survivor's stories
and their own reflections were put
together in a bound edition which
was distributed at a culminating
activity.
Ms. Doreen Wertz
of the Howell Township High School
initiated an idea to pair her art
students with survivors for the
purpose of drawing their portraits.
After an initial meeting where much
conversation occurred, the students
began the work of doing the
portraits which concluded with a
program where the portraits were
unveiled, the stories of the
survivor's were presented in written
form and a video production of the
process was presented.
A project designed
and initiated by Irving Roth who
stated the following objectives of
the experience:
The objective of
this program is to transfer the life
experiences of a Holocaust survivor
to a student by taking a joint
journey through the life of the
survivor. By this personal journey
the student becomes one with the
survivor absorbing his life, spirit
and soul. He will be able to
represent the survivor and tell his
story with accuracy and feeling to
any audience for at least another
half century.
This project was
initiated in many areas of the state and
has paired up hundreds of survivors with
students who promise to tell the
survivors stories in the year 2045
(100th anniversary of liberation). The
activities provide opportunity for the
students to really get to know the
survivor on a very personal level. Many
have included visitation to homes,
coming together for celebrations and
general discussions.
This activity has
been conducted by many synagogues
with the survivor in their area to
introduce a survivor who did not
participate in their own Bar/Bat
Mitzvah with a soon to be Bar/Bat
Mitzvah student. It also took the
form of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah being
combined with a Holocaust victim
whose birth date is the same as the
young person being Bar/Bat Mitzvahed.
Computer
Training - This project will
pair students with small groups of
survivors to learn about the
computer but to specifically track
families, names, towns, etc. through
the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum research files.
Anyone with questions or interested
in initiating any of the activities
described and/or implementing new
ideas, should contact:
Dr. Paul B.
Winkler
Executive Director
New Jersey Commission on Holocaust
Education
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 292-9274
E-mail:
holocaus@doe.state.nj.us
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