Holocaust Remembrance, Middle School Tackles Anti-Semitism

During their trip to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center in Glen Cove, Long Island, GCDS eighth graders met Rosalie Simon, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor. When Simon was 12, she was sent to Auschwitz and, tragically, lost her mother and brother in the concentration camp. After reuniting with her sister, Simon boarded a train that was intercepted by American GIs and the sisters made their way to the United States as refugees. As students listened to her first-hand account, they were captivated and horrified.

“Being in the same room with a Holocaust survivor and hearing about her experience was very powerful because it reminded me that this tragedy was not long ago,” said eighth grader Anika Khichadia. “The entire experience left my peers and me reflecting on the hardships of the survivors and the importance of honoring them.”

Every year, eighth graders study the Holocaust as part of their World War II unit. “There’s nothing more important in history class than spending time learning the most harrowing times,” said eighth-grade History Teacher Ellie Aronowsky. “It gives us an opportunity to have conversations about how they happened and how to make sure that they never happen again.”

As part of the study, Marlene Yahalom, a representative from Yad Vashem, the world’s largest Holocaust memorial in Israel, visited GCDS. She brought blueprints of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration and extermination camp built by the Nazis in Poland.

“It’s important for young people to understand that the Holocaust involved careful planning and was systematic,” said Ms. Yahalom who visits GCDS every year.

The trip to the Long Island museum, which happened for the first time this year, occurred during the Middle School Teach-In, a one-week Health and Wellness Program in the middle of January that includes themes of identity and belonging. Middle School leaders chose to focus this year on anti-Semitism because it has been on the rise. According to the Anti-Defamation League, which began collecting data in 1979, 2021 was the highest year on record for documented reports of harassment, vandalism, and violence directed against Jews.

“GCDS works hard to consider really what’s happening in the world right now and the needs of the students, what questions might they be having about what they’re seeing on their social media feeds, for example, or if they’re unaware, really helping them to develop awareness,” said Ms. Aronowsky.

During the Teach-In, the entire division learned about the roots of anti-Semitism and common Jewish tropes. They also met Jordan Sonnenblick, author of The Boy Who Failed Dodgeball, on Zoom. He recounted stories from his childhood of being bullied because he was Jewish. “If you are part of the majority, stand up for those with a minority status.” The students attended discussion groups after the presentation to talk about what they learned.

“We always want to foster conversations about acceptance and inclusion,” said Ms. Aronowsky. “The Holocaust is the ultimate representation of hatred as an idea, and it provides the scope of just how bad it can get when we don’t speak up for each other.”

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