Remembering the Holocaust

Hosted by the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, Holocaust Education Week is an annual event that provides educational opportunities exploring aspects of the rise of National Socialism in Germany and the events of the Holocaust.  The theme for this year’s HEW is “Collaboration.” As the HEW website states, “this inclusive program [addresses] many forms of collaboration: from the experiences of those who purposely chose to collaborate with the Nazis in genocide and crimes against humanity…to those who defied the Nazis and collaborated instead in resistance.” 

A series of independent seminars hosted by members of the Diversity Committee took place at Greenwood on Friday, October 24. These seminars were intended to educate and enlighten the Greenwood community about the political, social and historical dimensions of the the Holocaust. Grade 7’s learned the history of the Holocaust, while Grade 8’s explored how such a thing could happen through an excerpt from the graphic novel Maus. Grade 9’s and 10’s read an excerpt from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which framed a discussion about the role children can play in resisting extremist politics. The Grade 11 and 12 seminar explored the idea of collaboration – both its positive and negative connotations.

On Wednesday, October 29, Holocaust survivor Elly Gotz visited Greenwood to give a powerful account of his experiences in both the Kovno Ghetto and the German concentration camp Dachau. Gotz’s harrowing stories were tempered by his remarkable sense of humour and resilient spirit. He spoke of stealing books that had been appropriated by the Nazis and amassing a large, hidden library, and of his close relationship with his young cousin Dalia, as well as the horrors of life under the Nazi regime.

Gotz emphasized the importance of understanding “how hatred and prejudice can create war and murder,” seeking to find our common humanity and staying politically vigilant. Closing on a message of hope and peace, Gotz urged us all to “feed the wolf of love and friendship,” rather than bitterness and hate.