community review www.jewishharrisburg.org
April 26, 2019 | 21 Nisan, 5779 | Vol. 93; No. 34 Published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg | Greater Harrisburg’s Jewish Newspaper
“The Only Way This Will Never Be Forgotten”: A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR’S EFFORTS TO EDUCATE BY ADAM GROBMAN
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here are many Holocaust education programs in our nation, but few are as thoughtful and strategic as those created by Holocaust survivor, Linda Schwab. Her first foray into Holocaust education came when she gave speeches and talks on the Holocaust to students. As time went on, she wanted to reach young people in a new way. This led to the creation of the Schwab Essay Contest, an annual writing competition that awards area students who share their thoughts on the Shoah. “When I was in high school, we had to write an essay on the topic of ‘what freedom means to me.’ I wrote about coming to the United States, and after being sick on the ship for 14 days, seeing the Statue of Liberty. That was freedom to me. When I finally got her, I knew I was freed.” The memory of writing her freedom story stuck in Linda’s mind for years, until she had the idea to sponsor the competition. “I always had it in my mind that I would like to see children writing about the Holocaust. That I’d love to see them all going to research the Holocaust and learning about it in the process.” It is that deeper understanding and knowledge that Linda strives to impart. This year’s essay contest winner Luka Joy, a tenth grade student at Carlisle Area School District. “I thought it was a wonderful essay,” says Linda. “Reading her essay, I thought it definitely needed to be shared.”
Linda and fellow Harrisburg philanthropist Lois Lehrman Grass later started a Holocaust education fund called Gesher L’Machar, or Bridge to Tomorrow. “It is specifically for education,” says Linda. The Gesher L’Machar Endowment Fund grants scholarships for March of the Living, the annual program that sends high school seniors to Poland and Israel. “The March of the Living is an extraordinary educational experience for our teens,” says Holocaust educator, Lillian Rappaport. “It gives students an overview of 20th century Jewish history, from the depths of the Holocaust to the elation of the creation of the State of Israel. Our two ‘godmothers’ of the Gesher L’Machar fund, Linda Schwab and Lois Lehrman Grass, understood the profound importance of the March and, through their generosity and farsightedness, created a funding source to help make the program a reality for local students.” Another project through which Linda has made an impact is the Holocaust Reading Room at Penn State Harrisburg. “That idea came from Madeline Haynes, who was the provost. The thought was that it would be terrific to have a reading room in the library where everything pertained to the Holocaust. Someday, all my memorabilia from the Holocaust will be archived in that library.” In addition to her work to preserve the memory of the Holocaust as a whole, Linda has done plenty to share her own story and have as much of an individual impact as possible, giving countless interviews and talks sharing her experiences. “My main lesson is that this is not to be forgotten,” Linda states. “I say it every time I speak. I think God saved me so I can tell the story of how I survived. I tell the students that I am here to speak to them so that they can be my ambassadors. When people will say this never happened, they can say that they met me and that this did happen.” “I feel that educating our children, Jewish and Gentile, is the only way that this will never be forgotten.”
Linda Schwab has worked for decades to educate students on the Holocaust