Every year, the South Seneca Central School District eighth grade class partners with the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community (IAUJC) to do a Holocaust Education day.
On Tuesday, April 16, IAUJC member Claudia Lewenstein visited South Seneca to tell her story. South Seneca social studies teacher David Zeitz requested the visit to enrich the Holocaust education unit he was teaching. Claudia said she had visited his class once before a few years ago, and enjoyed it – and that the her visit this year went well, too.
Claudia, who is one of the community educators for IAUJC, is the daughter of two Holocaust Survivors. Her father, Fred, fled Aachen, Germany and arrived in the USA before volunteering for service in WWII as an army translator fighting back against the Nazis. Her Mother, Ilse, fled Vienna, Austria with her family after being attacked by the Nazis. Both sides of her family were subjected to unspeakable abuses and violence during Kristallnacht and each lost loved ones in the camp system.
Claudia, in a presentation to South Seneca eighth graders, focused on her mother's experiences. Her talk emphasized the importance of hope, determination, and courage in times of terror, the power of empathy against hate, and the importance of standing up against injustice.
This is something Claudia has done several times before.
“I have spoken at various schools in the area,” she said, “and enjoy presenting the perspective of a family of Holocaust survivors, since both of my parents experienced this genocide. I feel motivated to tell my family's story and to make this part of history more relatable to young people. I hope my talk and my mother's video interview serve to make one story from this massive historical event more accessible to students here.”
Claudia added that these presentations, including the one today, show her how “thoughtful and compassionate many young people are when they learn of the suffering of others.”
“The message I emphasized,” she continued, “to the class was that knowing history is important and that they CAN do individual acts in their lives to lessen persecution and suffering of others. Bullying comes to mind as the most likely form of social persecution that they are likely to witness and they can choose to speak out or act to interrupt it. While the Holocaust was a huge, complex world event, many survivors' stories include elements where righteous people were able to take actions, even small ones, which saved lives or sheltered Jews from further harm. I think this is an important message. Words and actions matter.”
“As time has gone on,” she added, “and there are fewer direct witnesses to the Holocaust, the danger of Holocaust denial grows. The internet speeds up the spread of misinformation and hate speech. I feel an obligation to bear witness to the truth of this historical event.”