Survivors to Thrivers

Yesterday on campus, we commemorated Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. I found it particularly poignant that our morning in the middle school began with the celebration of a bar mitzvah. The continuity of our faith and heritage brightens even the darkest days on the Jewish calendar. The rest of the morning in middle school involved a student-directed, interactive, experiential program about the Shoah. Below is a note that I wrote to the 8th grade students to thank them for their leadership and dedication.   

Dear 8th Grade,

Every year Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Israel, runs a poster contest challenging artists to use their media to create meaningful expressions of the Shoah. This year's winner reminded me so much of the program that you developed and hosted this morning. The poster includes a single fingerprint against a yellow background. Upon closer inspection, the viewer realizes that the unique swirls and whorls of the print are made up of strands of barbed wire. To me, the poster reflects the unique personality, hopes and dreams of every single person who perished during the Shoah-and the unique and individual stories of every one who survived. Just like fingerprints, no two stories are the same. The program that you ran this morning for the rest of the middle school highlighted those differences and captured so many varied parts of the Shoah experience. You brought your own individuality and creativity to your presentations and reminded all of us of the indelible print that the Shoah has made on Jewish history and our collective and personal memories. You did a beautiful job and I thank you for making this Yom HaShoah so meaningful.