Today was a special day. Yom HaShoah is a day marked by observance and remembrance around the world. At SIHA, our upper elementary and middle school students participated in a special lesson about the Holocaust and its impact on the world.
The lesson started with Dr. Chana Uzhansky, who came to each classroom to share a special video that can be found at the following link:
Holocaust Survivor holds his Great-grandson
In this video, a survivor of the Holocaust holds his great-grandson during his bris at the exact moment the sirens sound commemorating the Holocaust in Israel.
Dr. Uzhansky spoke to the students about the importance of this day. She spoke about what a powerful statement it was to view this video, and to have a beautiful new life join the Jewish nation at the exact moment that Israel and the world remembers the unprecedented attempt to root out the Jewish culture, religion, and people from the world.
After this, Dr. Uzhansky led the students in a special tehillim to mark this day.
Each class did something different to learn about the Holocaust.
5th graders got to read poems and see art created by children who were imprisoned in Terezin. Each fifth grader got a poem of their own. They read the poem, and learned a little about the child who wrote it. They wrote a reflection and shared what they learned with their classmates.
Sixth graders enjoyed a virtual tour of the United States Holocaust Museum. They got an opportunity to look at whatever virtual display they wanted, and after a period of self-directed exploration, they discussed as a class what they saw and learned.
Seventh graders had just finished reading Night, a novel by famous holocaust survivor Elie Weisel. They wrote beautiful essays discussing the themes of the novel. Two especially moving essays, by Naomi Applebaum and Eva Leivent, discussed Elie’s faith. They are linked below.
Eighth graders learned about the Holocaust from a historic point of view. They wrote a research paper on the subject, and then prepared a presentation that would teach others about it. Specifically, the 8th graders presented what they learned to the 7th grade. Doron Glickman’s essay was particularly well written, and the powerpoint prepared by Noga Sayag, Anna Gershkovich, Yaffa Bareket and Lana Mednik was particularly well done. Please find them linked below.
Survivors, Warriors, and Helpers – Slideshow
I would like to end this newsletter with another powerful image. This is a 93 year old survivor putting on his tefillin in front of the gate to Auschwitz, where he was once imprisoned.
93 year old Auschwitz survivor, Arek Hersh, has returned to the @AuschwitzMuseum for #YomHashoah with March of The Living UK (@MOTL_UK_).
This video shows Arek, in front of the gates of hell – where he was imprisoned during the Holocaust, putting on teffilin.
Inspirational ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PjP5wYa2tk
— Dov Forman (@DovForman) April 28, 2022
Please look forward to our regular newsletter tomorrow for more news from SIHA,
Mrs. Hazen