HELPING LEGACIES PERSEVERE

Grant Ferguson ‘23

Perseverance: A will to keep going no matter what adversity life throws at you; to keep on going even though it seems like there’s no hope. One of the greatest stories of perseverance is my great-grandmother’s. She survived the Russian pogroms and the Holocaust. Sometimes it seems easier in life to just give up, but if you give up the second you face adversity you will never achieve anything. My great-grandmother’s story taught me the importance of perseverance; she has more perseverance than anyone I have ever known. Chana Shapiro was born in 1914 in a small town in Lithuania. Chana’s uncle had moved to South Africa when she was young and made a lot of money. Most of Chana’s relatives moved to South Africa to escape the pogroms, but she had to take care of her dying mother in Lithuania. After her mother died, she moved to Kovno, now called Kaunas, with her two cousins that stayed in Lithuania. Life under the Russians was hard, but they got sufficient food and clothing. Chana could have taken the easy way out and fled to South Africa, but she persevered and stood by her dying mother.

In 1941, the Germans took Kovno, and Chana was placed in the Kovno Ghetto. Later on, Chana was moved to the Slobodka Ghetto, also in Kovno. Chana said that ghetto life was intolerable, and they were practically starved and given no respite. According to Chana, worst of all was the continual sorting out of the aged, the helpless, and the unfit to be eliminated by the Germans. On October 26, 1943, the children were forcibly separated from their parents to be taken away in vans. Many mothers killed their children and themselves. This is truly horrible and in my opinion, this is the worst part of the story. Chana’s cousin’s family committed suicide, and, she could have killed herself with them but she persevered and didn’t give up.

In July 1944, just before the Russians came, the Germans burned down the Ghetto killing hundreds of Jews. Chana was shipped in cattle trucks to an all-woman death camp in Stutthof Poland. Five hundred people slept in one barrack on filthy straw for beds. If you were unable to handle the back-breaking labor, you were killed. Many diseases, like typhus, were very prevalent in the camp because there were no doctors. Chana constantly had a fear that she would die next and was prepared to die. She would stand for hours in line just for meager rations, and many people committed suicide on the electric fence. In winter, they still needed to work just as hard and were whipped if they didn’t. Again, she had an opportunity to end it all, but she still persevered and kept going.

Desert in Abu Dhabi

Atri Midha ‘24

In the winter of 1945, they were forced to march to Germany. If you fell down you were shot and many who got away died. During a snowstorm on the tenth night, Chana snuck away to the Polish village of Miarotki, which was still occupied by the Germans. After three weeks, the Russians came and gave her food and clothing. A Jewish Polish soldier took Chana to his home where she found out her sister was in England and her two brothers were in South Africa. In 1945, she was sent to a displaced person camp outside of Frankfurt where she met Eleanor Roosevelt. Chana moved to South Africa with her two brothers, but she always wanted to live in Palestine. Chana’s perseverance paid off – she survived the Holocaust, met her husband, and gave birth to my grandmother.

Helping Legacies Persevere

A legacy is the only thing you are remembered for; you build your legacy throughout your life. As time goes on, most Holocaust survivors are dying, and with them their legacies. The Holocaust was one of the worst events in human history, and we need to pass on and keep the stories of Holocaust survivors alive, so we can see how unjust it was and never do anything like it again. By telling my greatgrandmother’s story, I am honoring her legacy. Chana’s story is a very sad story but is also a story of great bravery and perseverance. Chana kept going no matter how much adversity she faced, even in one of the worst events in human history - the Holocaust. I take this as a lesson to never shy away from a problem and never give up. For example, I used to have average grades but then I made it a goal to have great grades and after much hard work I did it. By sharing Chana’s incredible story, we can continue to remember her and help her legacy persevere; I know I am honoring my roots.

ORIGIN OF APRIL FOOLS!

Jackson Hong ‘25

It was March 31st, and my friend April was in town. Now, I hadn’t seen her in a while, so I wanted to give her a nice surprise, in the shape of a prank. I was determined to make her look like a fool, in front of my other friends who were also coming for a visit. So I gathered all of the other people who were also coming, and I asked them to help me gather the materials for the project. They all agreed and we set out to buy everything that we needed. Our plan was when April opened the door, it would set off a tripwire that would eventually make a balloon pop right in front of her face. I was so excited and helped set up the entire project. Finally, at around 11:47 PM the night before, it was complete. We were all so excited for tomorrow, and we couldn’t control ourselves from laughing. We all went to bed with a plan. My friends would arrive early in the morning, and call me until I woke up. Then, I would let them in through the back door, so we wouldn’t mess up the contraption. Then we would eat breakfast, and get ready for the day. Besides our prank, we made the house feel super welcoming for April.

12:00 PM. *knock knock knock*.

We heard the knocks on the door. We were all uncontrollably laughing as I let her inside.

I quickly stepped aside, and when April stepped into the house, BOOM! The balloon had popped! She was so shocked and her jaw fell! My friends and I were laughing so hard, I was afraid we were going to choke! We then told April about it and she just laughed it off. But I had different plans… I had a brilliant idea to do this every single April first, and everytime, get more and more people to help make more and more elaborate pranks! After many many April firsts, eventually, the news spread everywhere about us doing huge pranks on April first! Other people started making their own pranks on April first, and eventually, everyone in my town was doing it! From there, the news just kept spreading, and spreading, and spreading, until everyone in the US knew about it!

Over Sebby’s Shoulder