Just recently, the Freshman Class participated in the Holocaust Awareness Program.  It was an enriching and extremely important experience.  Mrs. Rosenbaum, a former PC teacher with eight Panther grandchildren, is the coordinator of the Holocaust Awareness Program.   There were several unique events combined to teach students about the Holocaust.  On Wednesday March 6th, the students watched Steven Spielberg’s renowned 1993 Oscar-winning film about the Holocaust, Schindler’s List.  Based on the novel Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keanelly, the movie stars Liam Neeson as Oscar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.  The film was an emotional, but worthwhile, experience for many students as Spielberg did an excellent job of portraying the Holocaust.  Although the Holocaust was a horrific event, the film taught students the significance of the values of love, faith, and perseverance.  After watching Schindler’s List, Freshman Alvaro Torrejon stated, “Watching the film especially at this age was a very enlightening experience.  It taught me important values and how we can help an event like the Holocaust from never occurring again.”  There is no doubt that Schindler’s List is one of the most important films of all time.

The next day in Munsey Gymnasium, all freshman students had group discussions with Holocaust survivors.  It was a unique and gratifying opportunity for students to speak with survivors who endured concentration camps, ghettos, or hiding during the Holocaust.  Andrea Chalem stated, “Meeting a Holocaust survivor was a really inspiring experience.  The stories of the survivor I talked to were moving and showed me how grateful we should be for all that we have.”  “Meeting with the survivors was an inspirational experience that no textbook could describe,” said Mitchell Friedman.  Hearing the first hand, unique experiences from the survivors is imperative to gaining a full understanding of the Holocaust.

Finally, the program was capped off by a discussion on current genocide around the world led by Dr. Gary Gershman, J.D. Ph.D. Associate Professor of History and Legal Studies at Nova Southeastern University.  Dr. Gershman said that when people teach about the genocide they say that we need to learn about it in order to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.  Unfortunately, he explained that genocides have still been in existance since the Holocaust.  For instance, there have been genocides throughout history all across the globe whether its in Cambodia (1959-1979), Guatemala (1965-1990s), Bosnia (1991-1995) orRwanda (1994).  He explained how these terrible events rarely appear on the front page of the New York Times, but when they do, we feel bad for a moment and then just move on with our lives because these genocides do not personally affect us.  By describing his travels to areas, such as Bosnia, that have been directly impacted by genocide, Dr. Gershman was able to give us first-hand insight on the devastation that is a result of genocide.  Most importantly, he discussed what motivates people to do these terrible things, giving students plenty to ponder about and learn from.

The combination of watching Schindler’s List, meeting with Holocaust survivors, and listening to Dr. Gershman made for an enriching and life-changing two days for the Freshman Class.  Hopefully, students will remember the lessons and horrors of the Holocaust and take these messages to heart, passing them down on from generation to generation.  Inevitably, there will be a day when there are no more Holocaust survivors left, and we will be the only ones left to tell their stories.  That is what makes the time spent with the survivors so important.  The Holocaust Program is certainly an important staple at Pine Crest and should be in full gear next year for the Class of 2017.