The Holocaust Education Resource Council stands with the Jewish community in Australia. The act of antisemitic violence was a devastating day when people were attacked and killed just for being Jewish. Hatred of Jews continues to increase worldwide and is not acceptable. As we celebrate Hanukkah, let the light shine into the darkness to a better future. It is always best to understand and learn to treat everyone with kindness. May their memories be a blessing and never forgotten.
As the year closes, looking back, so much was accomplished with educators and students. To continue next year, more schools will expand Holocaust education in their classes. On December 12th, Holocaust survivor Dr. John Rinde, spoke virtually to the class at Chiles High School. The students were extremely engaged and asked interesting questions about how he lived after the war. He spoke about starvation and no choices as his family hid in Poland. They were taken as prisoners to the concentration camps and liberated with nowhere to go. He eventually came to the United States and he became a doctor. The lessons taken away were that many success stories told by survivors were due to resilience and luck.
The past year, many films demonstrated the need to educate the community with facts and the truth of history. As people left the movies screenings, they thanked us for viewing important parts of the Holocaust that they had not known. Seeing actual footage of liberation from concentration camps and hearing from children of survivors in the most recent film, Traces, provided attendees with the deeper look into the mission of HERC.
We need your help to grow the outreach in our own community. It can take any amount to make a difference. Please support and join us next year to experience and witness the students taking away important lessons for the future. Let’s gather strength by continuing to work together. We must carry the torch for Holocaust remembrance and education and we invite you to help.
May we all have a healthy and peaceful year