Personal Reflection

Stay Awesome, Ms. Rheingold <3

When I first signed up for this course I signed up with the mindset our teacher is just going to reiteraite most of the things we learned in middle school and Hebrew school, but just in a more mature manner. As the class went by, we went more into depth about, not only The Holocaust, but about other genocides around the world and many of us had no idea about the many genocides that took place. I love how we went into depth about bullies and different scenarios of bullying; and how we can be upstanders. We learned dates, locations, researched for projects, watched movies, watched documentaries, and most importantly leaving class always with food for thought. There has never been a day that I walk out of the classroom thinking about nothing but the genocides and how the young population can make a difference. I always leave asking myself why people treat others harshly, how could they have the heart to do or say the things they do. It just makes me want to step outside and be with myself for a bit, and think about the person I am, The person I could be, the person I want to be. I want to be the person who respects others unconditionally; I want to be the person who will go to Larry when I hear about a fight about to happen, I want to be a better person. And this class has helped me take a step forward and change into a better person. This class will change people for the better, it will educate the young population about what has happened in the past and remind them “Never Again.” 

P.S. This is my favorite class this semester, and will always be. This will be the class I will talk about the most with my children. 

Upstanders, Bystanders, Perpetrators, Victims

Up-standers, Bystanders, Perpetrators, Victims

I want to preface by saying this paragraph is going to be a tad bit on the cliché side. It’s important we have up-standers in any given situation because think about it, without them things can get worse than they already are. Up-standers can save victims involved in the crime and resolve an issue, because they aren’t sitting around waiting for others to take care of the situation; maybe with one up-stander it would influence others to be up-standers to. By-standers are absolutely useless in most situations, when a perpetrator ignites a crime someone standing by and watching just makes them just as guilty as the perpetrator. The righteous gentiles are examples of up-standers, the people who knew about the Holocaust and sat around watching people getting bullied were bystanders, the Nazi’s were the perpetrators in the Holocaust, and all of the abused people(Jewish, Handicapped, Homosexuals, Gypsies, Slavs, and many others) were the victims.

Memory Box Project

Memory Box Project

Bertha Adler was the name of the teenager my group and I researched for the memory box project. She was 16 years old and had less than any 16 year old has today. Her parents were both put in the death camps and her and her sister were the only survivors. My group and I created the story that her family came from an Orthodox Jewish family, and that she had the greatest teenage years before the Holocaust. We came up with the idea which if she were to be alive today, she would have gotten married to a certain person she met in the ghetto. Our box was filled with Judaic items, jewelry that was passed down from generation to generation, and family photos. This project really taught me I am such a lucky teenager and I have so much more than many teens ever had in the Holocaust; I have a social life, I have friends to see at school, I have family to spend time with during the weekend, I have items still in my possession, and many other things Bertha never had. Unfortunately for Bertha she was banned from any public venue because she was Jewish, she was forced out of her home because she was Jewish, and she lost her parents because she was Jewish. I can honestly say this was one of my favorite projects because there was proof I have it easy and my life is amazing.

Holocaust Deniers

Holocaust Deniers

Holocaust deniers are honestly on some type of drug or something. How can a person deny an obvious truth and an obvious event in history; there is so much proof showing the Holocaust was real. I think it’s pure ignorance and lack of knowledge about the discrimination going around in the world today and in the past. The tattoos, the burned shoes, the burned Sidurs, the rooms filled with hair, the footage of the horrid days, the stories, the history, the proof was not made up; people thinking the Holocaust is a myth is simply defined as anti-Semitism. When I did some research on Holocaust denial, it was shocking to see how many people think the Holocaust is fabricated and an excuse for the establishment for the State of Israel and a way of receiving huge payments in restitution from Germany. Reading and watching the thoughts of the deniers really disgusts me, how could they come up with these thoughts? And now most of the survivors are slowly passing because of old age, and there will no longer be living proof of what happened. It just doesn’t register to me how a person can deny or distort the facts of the Holocaust. I know that I have a duty to educate and talk about the Holocaust as much as possible, I have met survivors and I have further knowledge that I can share with many people. If people can pass this information on, we’d definitely have less ignorant comments about the Holocaust.

Survivors and Holocaust Awareness Day (2 topics)

Survivors and Holocaust Awareness Day

So this year when the field trip was offered to attend the Holocaust Awareness Day I was absolutely enthused. The Holocaust was a horrific event in the past and every one should be educated about what happened so it never happens again. I was so glad to see the turnout at the convention center, and the many intrigued people at my table. I remember listening to a girl’s story about how she only wanted to get out of school for the day and she had no idea what the field trip was about, and at the end of the day the Holocaust Awareness Day had definitely affected her greatly. Before that day, she had no interest and just thought of it as just a “whatever” kind of thing. She was the girl that was the second most emotional at the table (I think I won the most tears cried and the girl who sobbed the most award). Our Holocaust survivor, Bela, was such a young soul; he told us his story with humor and he told us about the positive mindset he had throughout the Holocaust. He has lived a long and prosperous life because of his optimism; he’s a 96 year old man and still plays tennis every other day. I can say I’ve been through many bumps in life, just like many people, but honestly not as extreme and horrific as the Holocaust. I’ve always been the pessimist during any negative situation and I could never look past the negatives and look for the positive aspect in the situation. Bela changed that for me; Bela taught me that no matter how hard things get, there is always something positive in the situation and I should simply live life to the fullest, with a big smile on my face knowing that there’s a rainbow after every hurricane. I have heard two other Holocaust survivors’ story before I heard Bela’s, each of who experienced a tough time.

When Mr. Offenbach came to our school, that was also a very interesting experience as well. Mr. Offenbach brought an interesting story to our auditorium; he shared his vivid memories of when he was in the war. He shared that everything was taken from him, and he worked very hard to get through the war and bring himself to a place to provide food, and an education for his daughters. I remember him telling us that education is the most important thing for anyone. He didn’t go to college and he didn’t obtain much knowledge but it was important for today’s young generation to obtain an education. I couldn’t agree more with him, because when one person is educated and knowledgeable there is more tolerance to go around the world. Here is where I want to tie in the term “intolerance”. There was and still is so much intolerance around the world, when people can’t appreciate the different cultures and backgrounds which makes this world a melting pot, bad things like bullying and genocide occurs. If people were to consider the slightest differences of others, we wouldn’t have so many problems in the world. During The Holocaust, there was much intolerance when minorities and groups of people who didn’t fit in were persecuted because of their differences.

They all made me realize that the stupid problems in school and with friends are all dumb and they’re not worth my energy. There are so many other problems in the world, on a grander scale, and I’m here worrying about nothing. I realized that for a teenager I have a lot to be thankful for, I have had a great childhood unlike the many Holocaust victims who didn’t get the chance to be children, I have a family around me, I have a synagogue to go to every Shabbat, I have many things that many children didn’t have during the Holocaust. All together this has taught me to pass this on to many of my friends and family, reminding them of how lucky we are to be living a free life and reminding them of the disgusting event in history because of ignorance and prejudice of different kinds of people.

Yad Vashem

Yad Vashem

Fortunately, I have had the privilege to say that I have visited the Yad Vashem museum in Israel. When I visited I was only eight years old with brief knowledge of the Holocaust. Although after we learned about what Yad Vashem has to offer really helped me understand, now, what I missed when I went to the museum a few years ago. Yad Vashem means ‘A place and a name’, words strictly taken from the words of Isaiah. What was meant through Yad Vashem was "A place and a name," for the innocent people who weren’t given the dignity of a Jewish burial, or any burial at all in millions of cases. Yad Vashem worked closely with Holocaust education scholars to obtain accurate research to recognize the lives lost because of ignorance, hate, and lack of knowledge toward a people of innocence.

Righteous Gentiles

Righteous Gentiles

When the class was assigned to research certain people, it didn’t exactly register why we were looking up these specific people until we read the biographies and why they were so significant. During the time period of the Holocaust, there were people who cared enough to save and protect many Jewish lives throughout the world. I couldn’t believe the extremes people would go through to save other people’s lives; the righteous gentiles who put their lives at risk to save others, and that is just one reason why they are righteous. There were many different scenarios presented where I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams. Some saved the Jewish people in graves, some in churches, some in the hay in the back barn, and many more crazy places. But these people who saved the Jewish lives will forever be thanked; the Talmud says, "He who saves one life saves the world." Who knows what the saved people have accomplished, or what differences they’ve made in the world. The righteous gentiles truly have a heart of gold, and are truly Righteous Among the Nations.

Swing Kids

Swing Kids

This movie was about a group of young adults who had a great passion for music and dancing during the rough times of WWII. It was a group of close-knit group of teenagers, in Nazi Germany, who listened and danced to banned swing music from the U.S. using this passion for music and dancing as an escape from reality, until they’re morality is challenged when they’re forced to become the new Nazi Youth. Thomas and Peter were really close friends and when the Nazis forced the members of the Swing group to attend Nazi school, Peter was the one who really took a turn for the worst. When he started to betray his best friend and his family was when the audience notices the failure at keeping his moral code. I can relate to this situation in a way when my friends betray me for other people, people who have ‘something better to offer.’ In my opinion, it’s shallow and disappointing to see a person leave their friend behind for someone who has materialistic benefits. I’ve learned to call people out when they decide to leave me behind, and I will speak my mind whether they like it or not.

Sara’s Key

Sara’s Key

Sara’s Key was another movie that deeply touched me; Of course it had me sobbing and crying, because of how intense the plot was. Sara only wanted to protect her brother when she said to stay in the closet. Just like Life is beautiful, Sara was playing a game with her brother to keep him quiet in a closet. Sara showed her love for her brother as opposed to the sibling rivalry between the Bielski brothers in Defiance. Watching these movies showed me the importance of showing my love to my sisters and trying my hardest to protect them; no matter how annoying or irrational they may be I still care for them and would never want to lose them or be separated from them over a stupid fight. The theme of love is understood throughout these three movies, as well as the theme of family.

Defiance

Defiance

This movie showed how three brothers were left on their own, when their parents were killed by the police, and how they end up saving their own lives and many other lives. They had a very hard task providing food, shelter, and protection to many refugees. Every time they are discovered by the police or deliverymen, they must migrate further into the forest trying to stay undiscovered. Throughout the duration of the movie, the two older brothers end up separated because of sibling rivalry and that separation showed them both how much they can’t live without each other. When this incident happened, I thought of my own sister. I thought of the fights we have and when our parents have to separate us, and how much I realize I can’t live without her. We may fight a lot, but I really love her and can’t go on without her annoying but cute ways. Life is too short to argue and fight constantly with my sister. I have to love my sisters and show them I care for them very much.

"What Would You Do?"

What Would You Do?

The directors of ‘What Would You Do?’ always have a fantastic way of presenting scenarios that happen in everyday life in which we barely ever pay attention to. We watched a couple of episodes of people being judged because of their color, their religion, or even a disability. I watched these people get rejected from applying for a job or simply buying lunch for their family. It’s so hard to see how people easily judge each other without even getting to know them. What if that Muslim lady who was applying for a job, actually qualified and had the knowledge of something the job requires, that any non- Muslim had? What if she had something to offer others didn't have to offer? What about the man who went in the café to buy subs for his family, he was Mexican but that didn’t make him illegal. Nobody knows the background of these people, people just quickly assume something and make it certain in their minds. I once heard a man speak about his Tourette’s, and he simply said “sometimes I can’t control it, but I tell people that I’m not doing it on purpose and it’s a tic I can’t get rid of that moment.” Marc Elliott was his name, he taught us to only worry about ourselves and to “Live and Let Live”.  I feel that quote strongly relates to many scenarios presented to us in ‘What Would You Do?’ because if a person decides to dress like a tranny- let them be! It’s nobody’s business so, live and let live.  

The In Crowd

The In Crowd

By: John Stossel

I'd like to start off by stating how John Stossel did a fantastic job researching and presenting social injustices. When I saw this documentary it reminded me of myself in elementary school all the way up to high school. I admit to being bullied because of my obesity, lack of fashion knowledge, and many other things, but I also admit to bullying others because it looked ‘cool.’ It took a while until I got my reality check and when I got it, it was like a big slap across my face. I realized I had become the mean person who bullied me, I realized that everyone has some sort of a problem that they can’t control-just like my eating habits, and I shouldn’t be making fun of them. I have been fixing myself and all I want to be is a better person. I don’t want to be a bully; I don’t want to be mean, because deep down inside it doesn’t feel like me. The In Crowd shows how much bullying affects one life and how some can really hurt themselves or even others because of it. I feel like bullying on such a small scale can lead to a larger scale if it isn't taken care of. Schools should definitely do a better job monitoring bullying incidents, and the victim of the bullying should report immediate abuse to one they can trust so the problem can be taken care of.

The Believer

The Believer

Hebrew school, an obligation for a majority of children being raised in a Jewish home; but an absolute bore for children having to attend these laborious classes. I must say myself, it is pretty monotonous when you have a teacher that just talks and talks and talks and talks. But sometimes when the topic is actually intriguing and when the students have an opportunity to debate the topic, the class is automatically heated and exciting. And this may have been the case for young adult, Danny Balint. Danny was a very bright boy, and he saw the other side of things when it came to stories from the Talmud. It started with the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Issac because G-d had commanded him to do so, and he was about to sacrifice his only son. But Danny couldn’t understand the meaning to this Talmudic story, and thought G-d was an evil force so why should he believe the Almighty that wants to harm to His people. Throughout the movie we notice the theme of religion, family, and belief. After this incident and after Danny was a grown adult, I could tell he was really confused; it was Danny vs. Himself. He wore his Talit and kept a Torah in his closet but at the same time he hated the Jews. The meaning of this confusion was a conflict between his beliefs and his heritage. The intolerance he showed not only affected himself, but his surroundings and society as a whole. It was just so amazing how a bright and intelligent young man could make a Talmudic story something it wasn't supposed to be. And then have the audacity to leave his family and Jewish heritage behind, to only be at a constant war with himself.

Crash

Crash

‘BOOM!’ It was when it finally occurred to certain people that doing bad deeds would only end up leaving you in a bad situation, a.k.a. karma. When it took one accident to bring people together, and bring people to show their sensitive side to certain situations was when it hit me. I want to use the cop for instance. He was rude to the lady on the phone because he assumed she was African American, and he thought it was okay because he had the wrong idea of African Americans. He pulled over a car and gave the couple a hard time mostly because they were of a different ethnicity. But it took one car accident, where the woman he pulled over from before was stuck in a flaming car, to show his sensitive side and it took that accident to make him realize what he did before was wrong. He did everything and anything in his power to save this woman and to redeem himself. This movie showed how people take out their anger on other people, and think they have it worse than someone else when really everyone has a certain type of problem. If they had just taken a second to take a breather and think about what they are about to say or the action they are about to take on, the world would be a better place. Honestly, think about it, if I’m having a bad day and instead of me blaming it on someone else I just think about it and say to myself, ‘hey, times are tough but you’ll get through this’ it’s a way of self-healing and worldly healing. Even though this movie wasn't exactly about the Holocaust, it taught us not to be so ignorant about other people and to respect everybody just the way one would want to be respected back.

Schindler's List

Schindler’s List

A classic, simply a classic. Where do I even begin when there’s only positive feedback about this movie? Right I begin with, Oskar Schindler, the man who saved the many lives with the money he had. He was a great pretender when it came to hanging around the Nazi population. Schindler may have done some immoral things in his life such as, cheating on his wife, but he did such a mitzvah when he saved all those lives, the bad things shouldn’t even be thought of. There were, not many but few like Schindler, the righteous gentiles who lied and risked their own lives to save the Jewish population, the disabled, the poles, the homosexuals, and many more who were tortured.

I think about how these righteous people made such a difference in the world. Many of the saved survivors have set out and made it their mission to educate the many who don’t know about the Holocaust; they have written books, directed documentaries, speak at conferences, make a special appearance at schools and ask for interviews. Without the people like Oskar Schindler, we wouldn’t have many people who survived the Holocaust, and without them we wouldn’t have real proof of what happened.

"He who saves one life, saves the world" -

This is my favorite scene and quote of the entire movie, it gets me every time.

Vidivodo.com : schindlers list ending Etiket: schindler list ending

Uprising

Uprising

This movie was definitely one full of action and a very important lesson for all to learn. A group of Jews in hiding decide to come up with a game plan to fight back. In my perspective these Jews were very brave to go against Nazis and they were very proud of their heritage. It was people like them who truly represent the Jewish heritage in a positive way. The one line that probably left food for thought for many people was, “How can a moral man maintain his moral code in an immoral world?” Tough question to ask those who are about to go off and fight the Nazis, but they did maintain their moral code and fought for survival and life. They stood up and showed others to stand up for what they believe it; and they died knowing they stood up to their enemy.

Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful

This was a movie that was a bit on a lighter note than many other Holocaust films. This was honestly one of my new favorite movies; it made me cry and it made me laugh, and I know whenever I'm in need of a laugh I just have to think about "Princepesa!". There were a couple of scenes that were not expected; the scene when the soldier took Guido into the corner to shoot him, I thought Guido would pretend he was dead and walk out when the solider left but he was really killed. The father made up a game to protect his son, the story he made up with the points and the tank all saved the little boy. I feel like that was the incentive for the little boy to live, it was like a game for him and he wanted to win- if he knew what was really happening he probably would have had no incentive to keep 'playing the game'. This movie showed that no matter how hard and tough life becomes, life is a gift and we must find a way to enjoy it as much as possible because the duration of our stay is very short. The movie was composed in a way to show the positivity kept through imagination. I could relate it to my Holocaust survivor, Bela. When I met Bela he told me that he found humor in his Holocaust encounters. He would tell me that his story wasn’t nearly as bad as many other survivors but I think he convinced himself of that because during the Holocaust the jokes he would make out of the situations made it easier for him to get through the harsh times.

The Hangman

The Hangman
By: Maurice Ogden

It was amazing to read about how one man can take over one village and convince people to go against each other. But what the funny thing about this situation is that it happens all the time. For example, in school when one person bullies another person, not many really take action; there are rarely up standers in a situation because most of the time, people are either afraid of also being bullied or they think that someone else will take care of the situation and that they shouldn’t get involved (the bystander effect). At the end of the poem, the bully asked the last one standing why he helped him kill everyone else; he wondered why he didn’t fight for the others because now there is no one to fight for him. It was funny to the bully because it was one man taking control of many people and not one stood up to him. If one person would have stood up to him and fought their right to live, no body would’ve been hurt. So if there is a scenario, at school or any public venue, where a person bullies a group or a single person and there is an up stander it is guaranteed things wouldn’t be as heated as it would be without the up stander.

The Shawl

The Shawl

By: Cynthia Ozick

After reading The Shawl, I had come to a realization that all people have a protector of some sort. In The Shawl, there were several protectors that may not have been as apparent as the old rag. In my opinion I saw the love of a mother as a protector, I saw the will power as a protector, I saw the hope as a protector; all of these factors contributed to living a longer life, and a way of defeating the horrid soldiers. For an adult the knowledge of what will power may be and how to find a way to fight against the evil force is clear. Although Magda was only a baby and didn’t understand such concepts, she had her mother’s love and her mother’s scarf to mentally and physically protect her; but because the scarf was taken she was shown to the officers and killed. Magda’s mother has so much love that it really helped nurture Magda; the love gave Magda reassurance everything was alright. Magda was too young to understand what death was and that it was coming her way, but her mother’s love blinded her from horror. Magda was Rosa’s reason to keep on living; if it weren’t for Magda, I feel that Rosa wouldn’t have had the will power to keep on going as she had with Magda by her side. After Magda’s death, Rosa wanted to keep living showing the soldiers she wasn’t giving up, she was going to survive and win the battle.