legacies

Have a look at this site-

http://www.holocaustcenterbn.org/

It's an organization called The Holocaust Center in Peabody, MA that, according to their site, aims to document and to preserve history; to reduce hatred, prejudice, ignorance and indifference through education; to prevent future tragedies through the study of the universal lessons of this period. The Center has worked closely with area schools, K-12 and colleges, to raise the public awareness of the Holocaust and to educate students and teachers about the importance of defending human rights and combating racism, prejudice and intolerance within our own society and the world. The Center offers educators, administrators, students, clergy, and organizations a number of educational services.

They have a new project where they are teaming people up with a Holocaust survivor. They ask you to meet with your survivor and learn their story, so that you can present it to classrooms. They are doing this because they realize that most survivors are in their 70's and 80's and won't be able to share their stories much longer, but want them preserved.

This is a subject that is very close to me, and has been for many years. I've met with and corresponded with survivors through school projects I've done in the past. When I lived in Poland, I took a class that was specifically on Auschwitz, which is located about two hours from Krakow, where I lived. We visited the site a number of times and I've probably been there about a dozen times. The very first time I went to Poland, when I was studying in Luxembourg, I only had three days in Krakow. One of those days was spent at Auschwitz, because I thought it was such an important place to see. Now that I am in DC, I visit the Holocaust Museum a few times a year and attend special events there when I can.

This project sounds so interesting and something I'd really like to involve myself in. I am thinking of applying to do this, I think it would be a really good thing to do. I wonder though, if I could...meaning if I could actually present someone's story like that, because I can barely read about it without tears welling up, much less telling the story to children. I often read books on the subject, mostly survivor's memoirs and they never get easier to read. I am never any less horrified by the things in the books, but I think that this is such an important subject for future generations to know about and be aware of. I just wonder if I really could stand up in front of people and tell someone's story, giving them the proper respect that they deserve.