Two generations before I was born, my grandparents were coming of age in America as antisemitic propaganda spread throughout “civilized” Europe. Many believed the hostility against their Jewish neighbors would pass without major incident. Many believed that neutrality would protect them from culpability. They were wrong.
By 1940, continental Europe had descended into murderous chaos fueled by hate-filled othering. Europe’s American neighbors, including my grandparents, were called to save the free world. They did, but not without the enormous loss of life that occurred during the Holocaust and World War II.
Two generations later, the Florida Legislature mandated Holocaust education and Night by Elie Wiesel became Leon High School required reading. Wiesel’s firsthand account of his teenage Holocaust survival was unforgettable and opened my mind to the importance of learning from the past in order to Never Forget. The opportunity to hear Elie Wiesel speak in college began my lifelong interest in personal accounts of history and my experiences as a Teach For America teacher solidified my passion for bringing these educational experiences to subsequent generations.
In 2014, remembering my experiences with Holocaust education and now fortunate to arrange educational opportunities for my children and their Classical Conversations Midtown classmates, I contacted the Holocaust Education Resource Council to inquire if there were any Holocaust survivors available to speak to our students. Fortuitously, HERC’s director, Barbara Goldstein, arranged for Ellen Peyton to come speak to our students. Like Barbara’s mother, Ellen’s family was Jewish and had to flee Germany as World War II loomed. They all narrowly survived World War II in the Shanghai Ghetto and eventually became Americans.
Ellen mesmerized the children with tales of her childhood that included a bag of life-saving rice constituting her mother’s weekly wages and escaping bombings that took the lives of their neighbors. The children were able to gain the perspective that othering can have catastrophic consequences for children and their families. Months later, Ellen’s life ended and Elie Wiesel soon followed, but due to their bravery and generosity in sharing their stories, many in our local community and around the world have had the opportunity to remember the Holocaust and will continue to remember long after the last survivor is gone.
Ten years later, othering is increasing at alarming rates. Leaders prioritize fearmongering over fact. We wonder if we have become this generation’s passive observers of destructive propaganda. But there is hope. HERC joins organizations around the world in educating countless students of all ages in the importance of remembering. The children who were fortunate to hear Ellen Peyton’s story are now young adults, carrying the lessons they learned into the future and equipped to share their survivor testimony experience for generations. One has applied to become a second generation Teach for America teacher.
On behalf of the countless children and community members who have been positively impacted by local Holocaust education, thank you to HERC for your tireless efforts. May we Never Forget and may we continue to stand up, speak out, and prioritize educating ourselves and future generations about the dangers of othering.
Dr. Staci Walton Duggar
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe. –– Elie Wiesel