Illuminating Echoes of the Past - An Educational Magazine

Illuminating Echoes of the Past - An Educational Magazine Organized by Hagar Cohen

Note from the Writer Dear reader, My name is Hagar Cohen and my goal is to spread Holocaust Education beyond the Jewish Community. Please take this opportunity to educate yourself and others through this magazine so that something like this never happens again.

This magazine is intended to teach and to spark a reflection or a conversation surrounding what really happened during the Holocaust. Thank you for taking the time to read these experiences. Sincerely, Hagar Cohen

Table of Contents Quotes from Jewish Teens - Page 1 Submissions - Page 4 Resources from the Holocaust Museum Houston - Page 20 Takeaways - Page 31

Quotes from Jewish Teens Questions of Impact: - Why do you think these two teens said these things?

- How do you think we can change the way we speak about the events of the Holocaust to get rid of these sentiments that the teens talked about?

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1: Maren "My grandfather and great grandmother survived the Holocaust. They were placed in Theresienstadt [Concentration Camp] while my great aunt was placed at Auschwitz and was gassed. They came to America after losing everything and with gaining PTSD from their extended time at Theresienstadt. The amount misinformation being spread about the Holocaust is extremely detrimental, not only to people directly related to survivors, but the Jewish community as a whole. I have had people tell me my family's suffering was fake. I have had family members called the "Dirty Jew". The fact people deny the murder of over 6 million people is not only ignorance, but another attack on the Jewish community, that was said to happen never again."

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2: Anonymous "As someone who had multiple family members who died because of the Holocaust or the greater World War 2, it saddens me greatly to see people completely uneducated on the subject.

I've seen a lot of people unable to answer even basic questions about the Holocaust - i.e. "what is the Holocaust?". I don't think it's right to so easily forget such a horrifically impactful event, not only to Jewish people, but everyone around the world who was affected by World War 2 as a whole during that time"

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Submissions from Holocaust Survivors and Their Relatives Question of Impact: - Why did these survivors make art and writing during the time period of the Holocaust?

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1: Hyman Penn

Zlata and Mordechai Penn, Hyman's grandparents

"Layers of a Photograph": How a Photograph Tells a Story 5

1: Izak Penn's Story "A Jewish family living in Vilkaviskis was the Penn family, Zlata and Mordechai and their 4 children: Meyer Josef (who was married to Rachel), Refael, Izak, and Rivka. The family had a grocery and farmer supply store that catered to the Christian farmers in the area. They were a well-respected family who cared about their neighbors. I am telling you the story of the Penn family because Izak is my father.

One day in July of 1941, the Nazis ordered all the Jewish men of Vilkaviskis to meet in the town square with their suitcases, and they were marched to the outskirts of town. My father and his brother Meyer Joseph were placed in a barrack to sort through the belongings that the men had brought. My father found his father's coat and in a pocket of the coat, he found a photo of his parents. The other men were ordered to dig a big pit nearby. The next day, my father heard commotion and he peered out a window and watched as all the Jewish men including his father and a brother were lined up in front of the pit that they had dug. He then watched as they were murdered by bullets, each body falling into 6 the pit...

1: Izak Penn's Story ...He and his brother were able to get back to their home and told the rest of the family that it is not safe anymore. They contacted some of the Christian farmers they had done business with and asked if they would hide them. Some said, "yes". Unfortunately, my father's mother and sister were betrayed and murdered but thanks to these righteous Christians, my father, uncle, and aunt were able to survive. The photograph of his parents would be my father's only physical memory of his family and he kept it with him the rest of his life."

Students standing in front of a memorial for Jews in Vilkaviskis

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2: Judy Myers

"News Articles Rochester": How News Articles Tell a Story

An article Ruth Schlamme, Judy's mother, wrote for her school's magazine, 1937

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2: Ruth Schlamme's Story "You probably have never heard about the little city I was born in. It is Wurzburg, in Germany, an old city with many churches, castles, and a famous university. It was in April, 1922, when I first gave a cry in this German city to let the "Wurzburger" know I am here. And from then on I lived there happily with my parents until 1936..."

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2: Ruth Schlamme's Story "...The life for Jewish children in Germany since Hitler has been in power, is almost unbearable. I couldn't get any education for I was thrown out of school. I was despised by other children just because I am a Jewess, so my parents decided to send me to America, even if it was very hard for them to give their child away. Soon arrangements for the emigration were made. Only too soon the day of my farewell arrived... On November 12, [1936], I arrived at the Rochester station, where my aunt, Mrs. Lurie, came to get me and take me home..."

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3: Bill Orlin A poster Bill Orlin's grandson made for a school project

"From Tyranny to Freedom": How a Poster Tells a Story 11

3: Bill Orlin's Story "Between 1939 and 1945, as war engulfed Europe, Bill Orlin and his family lived on the run. Sometimes, civil or military authorities forcibly resettled them. Other times, the family fled in terror.

Bill, the eldest son of Sender and Sonia Orlinski, was seven years old when German troops invaded Poland and marched into his hometown of Brok, a resort community not far from Warsaw... Together with Brok's other Jews, Bill, his younger brother Boris, their mother (who was six months pregnant) and their grandparents were forcibly marched to Ostrow Mazowiecki, about 50 miles northwest of Warsaw. "We walked all day," said Bill. "Those who couldn't make it were either shot or bayoneted on the road." As they neared the town, Bill witnessed a scene that haunted him for the rest of his life: a young German soldier seized Bill's grandfather and cut off the old man's beard.

Once Bill and his family were in Soviet-controlled Poland, they managed to continue their eastward journey into the Soviet interior where they remained in relative safety for the rest of the war." -Holocaust Museum Houston

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3: Bill Orlin's Story The poster includes a map at the top that outlines the journey through Europe that Bill and his family took.

"Their odyssey first took them to Bialystok, where they were reunited with Sender, Bill's father, and then to the Soviet republic of Belarus. Bill's brother Felix was born there on December 26, 1939, and life resumed a semblance of normalcy. But respite was short lived.

"When Germany invaded the USSR in June 1941 the family ran,"”recalled Bill. "We didn't know where we were going. We just knew we had to get out."”

Eventually they made their way to Uzbekistan. Although the family was together, life was tremendously difficult for the next several years. Everyone suffered from hunger and malnutrition, particularly after a fourth son, Hymie (b. Chaim), was born in 1944. After the war, Bill and his family lived in a camp for displaced persons in Germany. They departed for Canada in 1948 and continued on to the United States three years later, settling in Houston." -Holocaust Museum Houston

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4: Benjamin Warren

Photo of a performance of the ballet in Austin, photographed by Tony Spielberg

"Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project": How a Ballet Tells a Story 14

4: Naomi Warren's Story "Naomi Warren grew up in Wolkowysk, a small city in Eastern Poland. In 1939, the war broke out and by the summer of 1941, the Nazi army invaded Poland. The Nazis very quickly began systematically isolating, interning and murdering the Jewish population. Naomi and many family members were rounded up and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in January of 1942. Arriving at the camp, Naomi was torn from her family. Her mother was selected for immediate liquidation. During her time in the death camp, she lost her husband, sister-in-law, and others. Naomi survived three years at Auschwitz, was transferred to Ravensbruck and was eventually liberated from Bergen-Belsen." -Ballet Austin with courtesy of the Holocaust Museum Houston

Photo of a performance in Austin, photographed by Tony Spielberg

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4: Naomi Warren's Story

Photo from the Austin performance of the ballet, photographed by Tony Spielberg The ballet is named "Light / The Holocaust and Humanity Project", is inspired by the story of Naomi Warren, and was performed in several places. They include Ballet Austin, Nashville Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Colorado Ballet, 3 cities in Israel, and more. The ballet was also made into a documentary named "Producing Light", which won an Emmy Award in 2012. The ballet was choreographed by Stephen Mills, with music by Steve Reich, Evelyn Glennie, Michael Gordon, Arvo Part, and Philip Glass

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5: Ruth Steinfeld The cover of Ruth Steinfeld's book, Forgive But Never Forget

"Forgive But Never Forget": How a Book Tells a Story 17

5: Ruth Steinfeld's Story "I was 7 years old when my family was sent from our home in Germany to a concentration camp in [Southwestern] France named Gurs. The date was Sept.

20, 1940.

My mother made the most unselfish decision to send my sister , Lea,]and I with an organization called OSE (oeuvre de Secour aux enfant). We never saw our parents again. In 1981, we were invited to Israel for a reunion of Holocaust survivors. We found a book written by Serge Klasfedl of the 80,000 Jews who were sent to Auschwitz [from France]. We found out that]on Sept. 9th , 1942, my parents Anna & Alfred Krell were sent to their death in Auschwitz."

Excerpt from Ruth's book detailing the OSE

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5: Ruth Steinfeld's Story Excerpt from Ruth's book detailing how she came to the forgiveness part of her journey

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Resources from the Holocaust Museum Houston (used with permission) Question of Impact: - How can these resources be used to teach people about the Holocaust?

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The Holocaust Remembrance Toolkit What is the toolkit?

The Holocaust Remembrance Toolkit is an online resource that is available to schools for curriculum use.

Where can it be found?

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The Holocaust Remembrance Toolkit What does the toolkit include?

1. Five full lessons and five mini lessons about different topics regarding the Holocaust.

2. Worksheets 3. Primary sources 4. 2 copies of books a. Why? Explaining the Holocaust by Peter Hayes b. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr

Other things to note about the toolkit: 1. There are both a tangible and online version of this toolkit

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Genocide Awareness Month Resources What is Genocide Awareness Month?

Genocide Awareness Month is held every April, and it focuses on bringing awareness and educating others about the Holocaust and other genocides.

Where can the resources be found?

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Genocide Awareness Month Resources What resources are included?

1. Micro lessons 2. School announcement templates 3. Extension Activities

Other things to note about the resources: 1. They are recommended for high school-aged students

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Lesson Plans What are the Lesson Plans?

The lesson plans are a collection of several documents that contain resources to help teachers teach about the Holocaust in their classrooms.

Where can the Lesson Plans be found?

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Lesson Plans What lessons are included?

1. Texas Holocaust Remembrance Week Micro Lessons 2. The Life and Art of Samuel Bak 3. What are Human Rights?

4. Why Should I Care?

5. Upstanders Curriculum 6. And I Still Write: Holocaust-Era Diaries 7. All Behaviors Count 8. The Butterfly Project 9. The Book Smugglers 10. "The Hiding Place" Curriculum

Other things to note about the Lesson Plans:

1. They can be carried out both in person and virtually.

2. Appropriate grade level depends on the specific lesson plan chosen.

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Houston's Survivors What is the Houston's Survivors resource?

Houston's survivors is a page that links to a collection of survivor testimonies of Holocaust survivors who live in Houston.

Where can the collection be found?

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Houston's Survivors What is included?

1. Houston survivors database from A-Z 2. Testimonies

Other things to note about the collection: 1. Not every survivor listed will include a testimony

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Suggested Book Lists What are the Suggested Book Lists?

The Suggested Book Lists are a collection of three book lists that are recommended to be used by educators for their students.

Where can the lists be found?

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Suggested Book Lists What lists are included?

1. 10 Stages of Genocide Book List 2. Holocaust Resource Book List 3. Social Justice Book List for Young Upstanders

Other things to note about the collection: 1. Depending on the list, most books are either catered towards young adults or educators.

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Takeaways - Talk about Questions of Impact - More resources to learn about the Holocaust • Yad Vashem • USC Shoah Foundation • USHMM o Behind Every Name a Story Project

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Questions of Impact At the beginning of every section there are 1-2 questions of impact.

These are questions that you can think about before, while and after you read each section.

Quotes from Jewish Teens: 1. Why do you think these two teens said these things?

2. How do you think we can change the way we speak about the events of the Holocaust to get rid of these sentiments the the teens talked about?

Submissions from Holocaust Survivors and Their Relatives: 1. Why did these survivors make art and writing during the time period of the Holocaust?

Resources from the Holocaust Museum Houston: 1. How can these resources be used to teach people about the Holocaust?

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More Resources for Learning About the Holocaust Yad Vashem: Yad Vashem, also known as the "World Holocaust Remembrance Center", is a museum in Israel whose mission is to educate, document, commemorate, and research what happened during the Holocaust. Their website: https://www.yadvashem.org USC Shoah Foundation: The USC Shoah Foundation (University of Southern California Shoah Foundation) is a collection of more than 50,000 survivor testimonies with the hopes of growing the Visual History Archive.

Their website: https://sfi.usc.edu

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More Resources for Learning About the Holocaust USHMM: The USHMM (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) is a national museum and Holocaust museum located in Washington, DC. It has several programs and projects dedicated to Holocaust education, genocide prevention, and research in the field of Holocaust Studies.

Their website: https://www.ushmm.org Behind Every Name a Story Project: Behind Every Name a Story is a collection of essays written by Holocaust survivors that describes their experiences. It is maintained by the USHMM. Their website: https://www.ushmm.org/remember/holocaustreflections-testimonies/behind-every-name-a-story

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Special Thanks To: - The two Jewish teens, Maren and anonymous - Hyman Penn - Judy Myers - Bill Orlin - Benjamin Warren - Ruth Steinfeld - Wendy Warren and Holocaust Museum Houston - For allowing me to learn through sharing your stories, resources, and time for the magazine!