Meaningful Lessons for Future Generations
  • Education
  • Holocaust Center

“My students don’t know about Adolf Hitler,” says Brian Jamieson, a San Francisco teacher who works with high-risk youth . That’s why Jamieson and his students have attended the JFCS Holocaust Center’s annual Day of Learning, which brings together hundreds of students, teachers, and survivors for intensive study and discussion of the Holocaust. This year, it takes place on Sun., Mar. 17, at San Francisco’s Mercy High School. “I want my students to not only understand why Hitler was bad,” he says, “but why the Holocaust is relevant today.”

JFCS Holocaust Center is Northern California’s primary resource for Holocaust education and elevates awareness among the general public about the Holocaust and genocide. Its purpose is to inspire moral courage and social responsibility in future generations.
William Stern, a Holocaust survivor who will participate in this year’s Day of Learning, shares teacher Jamieson’s goal.  “I want the children to know that this really existed,” Stern says. “If they don’t know, it could happen again.” Zdenka Levy, another survivor, adds, “I see the impact we have on the students. They tell me they’ll never forget my story and they’ll tell it to their children.”
Participants at the 2013 Day of Learning will focus on the many ways people resisted the Nazi’s during World War II. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, when the ghetto’s Jews valiantly attempted to stave off deportation to the Treblinka extermination camp. The uprising will also be commemorated at San Francisco’s Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sun., Apr. 7, 2013.
“The survivors teach us and inspire us to stand up against intolerance,” says Morgan Blum, Director of Education, JFCS Holocaust Center. “As we look ahead at the post-survivor era, it is important to connect youth with them now. We feel fortunate to offer this program to all public and private school students from the eighth to twelfth grades free of charge. It would not be possible without generous support from the Preisler Shorenstein Institute for Holocaust Education.”
The Holocaust’s lessons are resonating with students, including Jewish Community High School student Natasha Tabachnikoff, who says, “It’s very powerful and meaningful to hear from the survivors. We must educate others to not sit back and let atrocities occur.”
Posted by Admin on March 6, 2013