Today, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) hosted a group of Grade 11 students from a local high school for a Lessons and Legacies of the Holocaust workshop.  The presentation included testimony from Holocaust survivor Vera Schiff. The group of 45 teenagers listened intently to the 3 hour long workshop, offering thoughtful opinions and questions. 

A question regarding the forced wearing of the yellow star came up when a student wanted to know what would have happened if someone took off the star or chose not to wear it. She particularly wanted to know how anyone would know someone was Jewish. This line of questioning allowed FSWC Educator Daniella to explain further about the identification papers that everyone was forced to carry. Daniella asked the class about their own driver’s license and what information could be found: name, age, birthdate, etc. – but not religion.  Daniella explained that in countries like Germany at that time, identification also included someone’s religion. Meaning if that person had a “J” to signify that they were Jewish, that was all it took. Daniella explained that some people did take off the star at great personal risk, because the punishment for being caught ranged from beating to arrest to death.  Daniella also told the class that these impossible choices were unfortunately daily life for Jewish citizens during the Holocaust.

An activity designed to simulate the experience of being deported on the trains also resonated with the class. A scaled down model of a railcar is drawn on the floor of the classroom and students are asked to fit themselves into it. The group was very uncomfortable, which Daniella explained was still nothing like the actual experience itself. After returning to their seats, students commented on how claustrophobic it made them feel and how they would never want to be in that situation. They were shocked to learn that an average journey in those conditions could take anywhere from 3-5 days to more than a week (depending on point of origin and destination) with very little food and water. 

Following a lunch break, Holocaust survivor Vera Schiff came to share her testimony with the group. There were, again, a number of questions, including whether Vera had been physically hurt by Nazi officers. Vera described the brutality she faced daily while being imprisoned in Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. 

The school chaplain, who organized the visit for these students, sat in on the workshop and remarked immediately that this was an excellent extension to their learning in the classroom. The school is planning on incorporating FSWC workshops into their Grade 11 Religion curriculum every semester. Daniella is already discussing dates for the 2017-2018 school year.

The Tour for Humanity continued its tour of Sault Ste. Marie, stopping at an elementary school to work with the Grades 5 and 6 students. FSWC Educator Elena taught 5 workshops: 3 Simon’s Story for Grade 5 students and 2 Canadian Experience workshops for the Grade 6 students.  The Simon’s Story workshop is aimed at junior audiences with the goal of introducing elementary school students to the Holocaust in an age-appropriate manner. Students learn techniques to deal with injustice and ideas for creating positive change. Stereotypes, racism and prejudice are defined and discussed in an age-appropriate manner.  In the Canadian Experience workshop, students learn about a variety of difficult topics in Canadian history including slavery, the Indian Residential Schools System, the voyage of the SS St. Louis and the systemic internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. Following a review of the past, current issues including cyber bullying and modern-day examples of intolerance are examined and discussed along with ways to become a positive change-maker in their schools and communities.

Elena wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of student awareness about the Holocaust but she was very pleasantly surprised. The teachers had completed a lot of prep work in the days leading up to the Tour for Humanity visit and the students were very knowledgeable. This knowledge was seen throughout the day as students asked tons of questions, many of them focusing on the question of why Hitler had so much hatred for Jewish people. This is always a difficult question to answer but Elena discussed the concept of scapegoating and identifying innocent victims, who are often in the minority. Elena also spent some time speaking to the history of antisemitism in Europe, pointing out that if people hadn’t been open to the hatred promoted by the Nazis, they wouldn’t have been able to enact the Holocaust.

Another young boy wanted to know if there were any Nazis left in the world today. Elena told the group that it is illegal for the party to ever reform in Germany but that there were lots of groups and individuals that continue to identify with the Nazis and promote their type of hatred today.  She also told the students that’s why they needed to learn about this history, so that they can be the leaders that prevent this type of hatred today and in the future.