Holocaust Remembrance Program Engages Yonkers Students in Living History
To honor the memory of the 12 million victims of this horrific genocide, JCY-Westchester Community Partners and Lincoln Park Jewish Center offered The Holocaust Remembrance Program on May 2, 2011 through May 6th, 2011. All Yonkers public school students, as well as the entire community, were invited to attend. The event featured live accounts given by survivors and a poster display, „Courage to Care‟ by the Simon Weisenthal Center. The posters depict the history, resistance, and impact of the Holocaust.
Holocaust survivors shared their very personal stories with over 800 middle and high school students. The students listened, asked questions, and learned first-hand how the Holocaust impacted real people. It is hoped that this “living history lesson” promotes empathy and underscores the importance of having respect for all people.
One student from last year‟s event writes, “…A lot of kids are being picked on and bullied in school and no one does anything about it. That reminds me how no one in nearby villages tried to help prisoners escape or take a stand against the Nazis.” Students learn to apply the lessons from the Holocaust survivors to become “upstanders” (those who stand up for their neighbors) instead of bystanders.
“NEVER AGAIN”!
This is the last generation of children who will ever meet a Holocaust survivor!
The Holocaust Remembrance Program is coordinated by JCY-Westchester Community Partners in partnership with the Yonkers Public Schools and is sponsored by Lincoln Park Jewish Center and the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Speakers Bureau (Susan Rothschild).The Yonkers Public Schools generously provides free bus transportation for its students.
