Neither Yesterdays Nor Tomorrows

by George J Elbaum

Lowell High School opened in 1831, shortly after the city of Lowell was established.  From their inception, all of Lowell’s public schools were integrated, and African American Caroline Van Vronker was a student at Lowell High School in 1843, even though all public high schools in Massachusetts and the United States were segregated then.  The school’s current enrollment is over 3100 students, with high racial and economic diversity: 32% Asian, 31% White, 24% Hispanic, and 11% African American, with 44% qualifying as Low Income subsidies.  Much dedication and sensitivity are required for effective teaching, and I definitely felt that from the teachers organizing this event.

My presentation was organized by Social Studies teacher Jessica Lander, and it was attended by 90 11^th and 12^th graders who are recent immigrants and refugees from more than 30 different countries and are enrolled in her US History II Class.  These students have spent 6 weeks studying World War II with a major focus on the Holocaust.  There were also 50 students from an upper-level full year English Seminar on the Holocaust, plus students from an upper-level Seminar on American Diversity which focuses on American history and has a central thread of activism and learning how to be up-standers.  Attending also were Head of School Marianne Busteed, Social Studies Chair Rob De Lossa, and English teacher Suzanne Riley.  My participation was arranged by Judi Bohn, Jeff Smith and Charles Fitzgibbon of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

Malden High School is a public high school founded in 1857, and its current enrollment of 1870 might be the most diverse in Massachusetts, with the native languages spoken by its students numbering 18.  Racial diversity goes with the language diversity, and the student body is 28% white, 24% Asian, 22% Hispanic, 21% black, and 3% of two or more races.  Such high diversity, plus 61% of students being from economically disadvantages families, results in a large educational burden on the school’s administration and its 114 full-time teachers.  Though 95% of the teachers have 3 or more years of experience (significantly higher than the 86% state average) only partly ameliorates this burden – it surely results in a higher workload and pressure.

My talk to Malden’s approximately 400 10^th graders was organized by teachers Kerry Veritas and Sean Walsh.  The preparation of most of these students consisted of visiting the International Museum of WWII where they learned about propaganda, anti-Semitism, life in the concentration camps, and conditions in Europe during WWII.  Human level connection was arranged when students visited the museum’s Holocaust room by the participation of a Holocaust survivor.

In addition to Kerry Veritas, attending the talk were teachers Greg Hurley, Pat Finnegan, Mike Lightbody, Ellsworth Fersch, Nierika Nims and Melissa Macey.   Arrangements for my talk were made by Judi Bohn and Jeff Smith of Facing History and Ourselves .

by George J Elbaum

Somerville High School in suburban Boston has an enrollment of 1230 students in grades 9-12 and very high diversity: 43% Hispanic, 32% White, 14% Black, and 10% Asian.  Many or most of the students do not speak English at home, and 73% are classified as coming from Low Income Families.  Providing good quality education is therefore a demanding task for the faculty and it surely requires effort, patience, and love of teaching.

My presentation was for 120 10^th grade students who have been studying WWII and, for the preceding weeks, the Holocaust, using Holocaust and Human Behavior texts and materials from Facing History and Ourselves. The presentation was organized by Social Studies teacher Steve Ensdorf, and also attended by Department Chair Alicia Kersten and teachers Carlos Contrearas and Roni Teich.  My participation was arranged by Judi Bohn and Jeff Smith of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

Natick High School is an urban/suburban public high school serving approximately 1700 students in grades 9–12.  It rates quite well in academic performance, with state standardized test scores vs. state averages of 96% vs.91% in English, 92% vs. 53% in Science, and 91% vs. 79% in Math.  The school also has a strong arts program: in drama it produces two full-length plays each year; it has an award-winning, nationally-recognized speech and debate team that won the Massachusetts Forensic League State Championship and has had multiple state and national champions; its music program provides students with a rich selection of vocal and instrumental ensembles including Concert Choir and Symphonic Band that have won gold medals in state competition.

My presentation was organized by Social Studies teacher Justin Voldman to an audience of several sections of Holocaust and Genocide and of Genocide and Human Rights.  In addition, many English, social studies, and world language teachers brought their students to it. Approximately half of the students take the Holocaust elective at some point in their time at Natick.  Student preparation was evident by their thoughtful questions during the Q & A.  My talk was also attended by Natick teachers Kari Ann Dally, Laura Jones, and Maggie Hall, and it was arranged by Jeff Smith and Judi Bohn of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

The Tremont School is a small private school located in Lexington, though its students come from Boston and the surrounding towns.   The school’s basic hypothesis is that the most stimulating educational environment is created by a deep and real partnership between students, teachers, parents, and administrators, and it firmly believes that learning is an ongoing exchange among all members of the school community, and that each student brings to that community strengths and interests that should be nurtured and shared for the benefit of all.  Students thus learn in an environment that supports their making connections between thinking and doing.  Teaching is therefore in a project-based curriculum which provides opportunities to develop hands-on projects that tug at the very core of an issue and develop in students the opportunity to question, analyze, and draw conclusions based on their own framework of understanding.

Since the student population has a variety of learning styles, the mission of the school is to serve this variety.  Many of the kids are “out of the box” thinkers or are kids who benefit from a small and personalized learning community.  Students in grades 9-12 attending my talk have read Friedrich, Night, and The Sunflower, and have background knowledge about the Nazi’s rise to power, the human costs of WWII and the Holocaust, Oskar Schindler, and the Nuremberg Trials.  They have also visited US Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC.

This was my second presentation at Tremont (the previous was in April 2015) and was again organized by teacher Tore Kapstad, whom I met in 2012 when he organized my talk in another school.  Also attending it were headmaster Ben Niles and teachers Jorge Yacubowicz, Chuck Chanay, and  Mike MacGillivary.   Arrangements for the presentation were made by Judi Bohn of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (also known as CRLS) is a public high school with enrollment of 1950 students of high diversity (39% White, 32% Black, 13% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 4% two or more races).  The school’s current form was established in 1977 when two separate schools, the Rindge Technical School and Cambridge High and Latin School, were merged to form the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, but its roots and interesting history date back to 1648!  CRLS is currently divided into 4 ‘Learning Communities’ which are called C, R, L, and S (poetic creativity 🙂 and are designed to promote high levels of learning and achievement for all students.  Each Learning Community has from 400 to 450 students, and each student is assigned to a guidance counselor for all four years.

My presentation to approximately 120 9^th grade students enrolled in World History and English Language Arts (ELA) was held in the auditorium of the nearby Cambridge Public Library.  The students have been studying WWII and the Holocaust in their World History classes and read stories of resilience and resistance in their ELA classes.  Many students have seen the film Schindler’s List and use materials, readings, videos, etc. from Facing History and Ourselves.  The presentation was organized by World History teacher Caroline Berz and arranged by Judi Bohn of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

Norfolk County Agricultural High School is a public high school with enrollment of 550 students from Norfolk County and many out-of-county towns.  The school is situated on 365 acres in Walpole and offers specialty training to students who are interested in Animal and Marine Science, Plant Science, Environmental Science, and related Mechanical Technology.  Students attend vocational and academic classes every day.  Grade 9 students explore all programs during their Freshman year, Grade 10 students can narrow their interests during their Sophomore year, and Grade 11 students choose their major prior to the beginning of their Junior year, completing major requirements till graduation.  About 80% of students attend a 2 or 4-year college.

The school’s academic studies include English Language Arts, Social Studies, Sciences and Mathematics.  As part of Social Studies, teacher Wendy Harlow (who organized both my 2017 visit and this one) teaches civil rights, Holocaust and Human Behavior, and Genocide in the Modern World.  My talk was attended by the entire Freshman class of 150 who have all read Eli Weisel’s Night and 22 Seniors taking the Genocide in the Modern World elective.  Also attending it were teachers Jessica McGarry and assistant principal Sean Crowley.

My visit was arranged by Judi Bohn, Special Projects Coordinator for Facing History and Ourselves

by George J Elbaum

Stoughton High School has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students, of which approximately 100 11^th and 12th grade students attended my talk.  Most of these students are enrolled in the course Holocaust and Resistance, and in The Immigrant Experience and other electives, and have read Eli Weisel’s Night. As part of some of these courses the students build desk-top memorials and partner with near-by Foxboro Charter School in the Stamp Project, whose goal is to use postage stamps to represent the 11 million people who died in WWII.

The event was organized by Social Science teacher Jaime Regan, and attending it also were Stoughton faculty Ashley Goldstein, Hillary Moll, Alex Loud, John Gallivan and Joel Rubin.  My participation was arranged by Judi Bohn of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

Founded in 2004, The Bay School (Bay) is an independent, coeducational college preparatory high school in the Presidio of San Francisco.  With almost 400 students in grades 9 through 12, Bay balances challenging academics and innovative thinking with a mindful approach to learning and life – its goal is to see students unlock their individual and collective potential so they begin to realize their roles in a dynamic world.   Bay believes that a broad range of perspectives and experiences play a crucial role in achieving its educational mission, thus it intentionally recruits students and teachers from diverse cultural, racial, economic and geographic backgrounds.

Emphasizing depth of content, Bay’s curriculum focuses on problem solving, promotes critical thinking and encourages students to connect academic study with their extracurricular lives. Bay’s 9th and 10th grade courses build a broad foundation of basic skills, focusing on the relationships among traditional academic disciplines. Students’ interests and talents increasingly drive the academic program in 11th and 12th grade.

Students attend classes in a beautifully renovated, national historic landmark building. The 62,000-square-foot campus features 30 classrooms, three state-of-the-art science laboratories, a 3,000-square-foot library, an art studio, a media lab and a spacious student commons and dining room.  The Project Center, established in 2011, boasts dedicated facilities for engineering, design and robotics, as well as additional fine arts studio space for sculpture and printmaking. The Project Center also serves as the home of Bay’s distinctive Senior Signature Projects program.

This was my 3^rd visit to The Bay School, and it was organized by Humanities teacher Hannah Wagner. Hannah and her colleagues Waleed Abdelrahman, Ben Cullen, and Colin Williams prepared the audience of 10^th grade Humanities students on the subject of the Holocaust.  After studying World War I, 10th grade classes spent two weeks examining primary and secondary sources to discover how Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power in 1930s Germany. Alongside political documents like the Treaty of Versailles, the Weimar Constitution, and Hitler’s speeches, students explored grassroots accounts of life under Nazi regime’s growing power.  In the coming weeks, these students will further explore impacts of World War II, including the Holocaust, internment of Japanese-Americans, the Nanjing Massacre, and the Battle of Stalingrad.

My talk was arranged by Penny Savryn of Jewish Family and Children’s Services and attending it also was Adrian Schrek, JFCS Director of Educator Development.

by George J Elbaum

Lowell High School is a public magnet school which opened in 1856 and is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi.  With enrollment of approximately 2,600 students (57% Asian, 15% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Filipino, and 10% all other) it is one of only two public schools in San Francisco that is permitted to admit only students who meet special admission requirements.  The Lowell admission process is competitive and based on a combination of standardized test scores, GPA, a writing sample, and extracurricular activities.  As a result, its students’ test scores have historically ranked among the Top 10 Public Schools in California.  (Recent SAT scores: Critical Reading 595 vs. 495 CA average; Writing 594 vs. 484 CA avg., Math 636 vs. 500 CA avg.)  Lowell was therefore named a California Distinguished School 7 times, National Blue Ribbon School 4 times, and is currently ranked 96th by U.S. News & World Report in its “Best High Schools in America” for 2018, making it the 2nd highest ranking school in California with over 2,000 students.  Lowell was also ranked 49th by Newsweek‘s America’s Best High Schools 2012 list and 66th by Newsweek’s 2013 list.

In addition to its stellar academic performance, Lowell has one of the most active student bodies in San Francisco, with over 84 academic organizations, athletic teams and student interest clubs.  In athletics,  Lowell has competitive teams in 17 sports plus cheerleading, and these teams claim more city championships than any other public high school in San Francisco.

My talk was part of the World War II unit of the Modern World History Class taken by mostly freshman, and occasionally sophomore students.  For a couple of the teachers, the talk also served as a kick-off for a class project where students went home and interviewed their own family members about the family history related to conflicts which have occurred in the 20^th century.  For the majority of the Modern World History students the talk served as a potent illustration that history is about the lives of real people and that the choices which individuals make have long repercussions in the lives of others.

My talk was organized by Modern World History teacher Erin Hanlon, with an introduction by Modern World History teacher Lauretta Komlos.  Attending it also were teachers Amanda Klein, Jason Tuason, Ana Rosa Maldonado-Silva, and Kay Crisman-Petrini. and it was arranged by Brian Fong of Facing History and Ourselves.

Letters from Students

Several days after my March 18 talk at Lowell High School, teacher Erin Hanlon, who organized the event, gathered together 240 letters and hand-made thank-you notes from the attending students and mailed these to me in 4 large manila envelopes.  However, by the time these arrived in our mailbox we had already left for 2+ weeks in New York and Boston.  Since I gave 9 talks in Boston, then a couple in the Bay Area and visited Seattle where I gave 3 more talks, I was totally occupied in posting these 15 talks.  Thus it was only a few days ago that I finally had the time to open the first of the 4 large envelopes and, with my wife Mimi, launched into the task of reading the students’ letters and notes it contained.  Since then, we’ve opened one large envelope at a time, and as has been our habit over the years, Mimi would read each note or letter aloud while I would listen and absorb each student’s words, and we would highlight those phrases and sentences that most resonated with us, eventually adding these highlighted excerpts (below) to this post.  Since many students drew or painted fanciful, funny, and imaginative drawings on their notes, we photographed some of these and added the photos following the event photos below.

• Yesterday you came to speak to us about a life you were forced to live in times you and millions more were forced to witness. I cannot pretend to understand the trauma and tremendous loss you and thousands of other survivors carry on your backs every day, but I can realize the strength it takes to carry such a heavy burden.
• I offer you my thanks at having the bravery and resilience o speak to us about your harrowing and dangerous youth as a Jewish boy living in Europe during World War II. I hope you know that your words do not go unheard and your story will never go untold.
• I thank you truly for opening my eyes to history’s realness.
• It is horrifying what you had to go through, and it is very brave and selfless to share your experiences with others. You are truly inspiring.
• The increasing hatred toward immigrants in this country is concerning, and I hope that your story and your lessons teach those filled with hate a message of love and acceptance.
• I wanted to thank your mother personally for keeping you alive in the worst times imaginable to man, because by doing that your memories of the Holocaust can live on and be shared by younger people to teach them what really happened.
• I could really connect with some things you said as I immigrated to San Francisco a few years ago, feeling scared and without a word of English. Leaving everything behind was difficult, but you showed me more in your presentation.  THANK YOU!
• But most important, thank you for surviving and being alive.
• We knew that a lot of people died, but I don’t think we understood how many families wee torn apart and how many millions of lives were thrown away like they were nothing.
• You said you survived only on luck, but however you were able to survive, our school is really glad that you were able to survive to help bring the magnitude of people’s suffering to light.
• Learning about the Holocaust sparked an interest in me, and I wanted to learn more. It surprised me that people are capable of doing something like this – they are so fixed in their mindset they won’t admit anything else.
• Your talk about our generation having the power to prevent another catastrophe like the Holocaust and keeping the memory alive really hit me.
• Your presentation really spoke to me, especially for the fact that you added many personal details of the event. Because of that, I was able to create vivid pictures of the scenes you described in my head.
• I feel inspired to look into the events of the Holocaust in my Modern World History class. I feel that learning about this event will let me learn more about the world and how prejudice affects those without power.
• I am deeply sorry that you had to go through the Holocaust. I wish I could have prevented it for you and for everyone.  I know this whole letter is all over the place but I wanted to say the few things off the top of my head.
• Many people won’t even talk to their grandchildren or anybody because they don’t want to relive that moment.
• Ever since your presentation I’ve been researching more and more of the Holocaust.
• The way you told your story made me see the Holocaust in a new way because I feel like I’m part of it when you tell us the story.
• Your perseverance after losing everything you knew inspires me to work harder. I admire your courage returning to the home you lost so many years ago.  Your story reminds me of how grateful I am that I had a stable, healthy, safe life.
• It must be really hard to relive those painful childhood memories, and I thank you for sharing it with us.
• If you never came to tell your story, I would still be living in a world where the significance of such event would be non-existent.
• Words spoken from your heart deserve the attention of many more!
• I hope that you continue to share your story and that by doing so, the memories and tragedies of the 6 million can stay alive.
• You gave me a glimpse of how life really was, different from the normal “Jews were killed.”
• I hope that you live the rest of your life with happiness instead of the shadows of the Holocaust. Keep inspiring!
• I wish that you have a longer more prosperous life than you already have, and that you will touch even more hearts than you already have.
• You taught us a lot and got us so much more interested in what happened. Before listening to you, I didn’t have much knowledge about the Holocaust, but now I do.  So thank you.
• I hope you continue doing what you’re doing, because you inspire many people out there (with little red hearts at each corner of the page).
• I sincerely hope the world never forgets the great sacrifices made by families just like yours.
• I feel very sorry for your losses. You lived a tragic life at an early age.  You woke up into an evil world and I’m sorry you had to live through it.
• Your story is a lesson for all of us, an eye opener. We may not be able to control others, but we surely can control ourselves.
• I’m glad there are people like you who can understand the magnitude of the Holocaust and how horrible it must have been to live through it so that it will not be forgotten.
• Your presentation inspires everyone to live life to the fullest because you never know what’s to come
• Please continue speaking to other students about how each of us can do our part in diminishing prejudice.
• Thanks for sharing your story of luck and hope, so that others can understand it.
• I learned a lot about myself from your story.
• Your story was not only moving, but it was profoundly real.
• It’s inspiring and uplifting to hear that despite your hardships, you still worked hard and persevered through life.
• There were actually many questions I had that I did not ask and I regret that.
• I hope the whole world can hear your stories!
• Having enough food to eat is something I’ve taken for granted. Never again will I complain about my mom’s cooking.
• My Grandpa went through the same thing but didn’t have the chance to tell me about it, so it was cool to hear about it from you.
• You have inspired me to go out in the world and do the best that I can because that is what you did but with a lot more hardships.
• The words that will stick in my mind are those about discouragement. Thank you for speaking to us and giving me motivation!!
• I’m of Jewish descent and my great grandparents and grandparents survived the Holocaust as well. I was really interesting and special for me to hear a personal account of what their lives may have been like.
• I don’t know if you’ll ever read this but I wanted to thank you for sharing your story. (Riley, my wife Mimi and I read every letter from students!)
• Before you came to speak I really did not know much about the Holocaust. Now I’m very curious about it and want to learn more.  You’re a very lucky person, but I had the luck to meet you and learn about your story.
• Throughout the whole assembly you had my full attention. In fact, that’s the quietest a room of high schoolers has ever been.
• Thank you for sharing your experiences – it opened all of our eyes
• I learned how much of an impact helping someone in need could make, even at one’s own risk.
• The knowledge your stories share is amazing, and these experiences alone help our young minds think and question what we know.
• In a world that seems all too dark, you a survivor remind us that there is light.
• The most fascinating thing to me was how you lived your life at arms length from the Holocaust until you decided to write your book Neither Yesterdays Nor Tomorrows. Thank you again for allowing me to have this amazing experience.
• What you said truly impacted me as a Jew. I have family members who live in Israel, and what  you said makes me feel more connected to them.  I really appreciate what you do.
• I learned from your presentation that being educated had a huge advantage as a Jew during the Holocaust
• I really admire your courage and commitment to tell people about your experiences with the Holocaust. That’s so admirable because of the wright and pressure of the Holocaust on your mind.  Heck, sometimes I even crack under the pressure from school.
• Although it was probably a very horrifying experience, knowing that your five-year-old self pulled the pin on a grenade and lobbed it unknowingly of the repercussions with its explosion, I did enjoy hearing about it, and I am sorry if that was very inconsiderate of me.
• What I found most interesting about your presentation was the story about the German hand grenade. It’s an example of just how dangerous it was, no matter where you were and also an example of how lucky you were.
• I would love to eat dessert for every meal too!
• I wish you the best of luck in your future talks (you’ll probably need it if you don’t start planning your future😊).
• The story that really stuck with me was when you hid in that shed and saw that airplane. I think it really symbolized everything that happened.
• You saying that the Holocaust murder rate was like killing everyone in the city of San Francisco every 8 months really puts it into perspective what a terrible act it was.
• Imaginary script/dialogue on a thank-you note from a creative Lowell student:

— a student: Definitely a good read if you want to understand struggles.

–-creative student: A wonderful understanding of conflict within everything in life.

–person who loves desserts: It made me want to experience the enjoyment of a cube of sugar.

–creative student again: George Elbaum is an inspiring model of a person who experiences the   adventure of danger within history itself (end of script).

• Your visit has motivated me to speak out against what is wrong.
• I will always remember your story about staying with different families and wondering if you will ever see your mother again. This specific story impacted me to not take for granted having both of my parents and being able to see them every day.
• The fact that you were still able to achieve great things gives me great encouragement to work hard.
• I can’t imagine how hard it is to remember those dark memories and emotions that you felt.
• I really enjoyed how you were able to talk the happy moments, like the sugar cube, despite the harsh war raging.
• Because of the magnitude of the horrors during that time, and how hard you work to educate young people, I truly believe that you and all the other Holocaust survivors are heroes.
• You delivered a speech at Francisco Middle School last year. I was so stunned back then, and yet again now.  Your story is fascinating and thrilling.  I truly wish more and more people get to know about you.
• S. I am sorry if this card is a bit plain.  I am not that creative and do not really know how to decorate this card for you.  Thank you for understanding and I am sorry once again.
• It was interesting to hear how Russia didn’t liberate certain countries too soon because it was waiting for anti-Communists to be exterminated by the Nazis.
• Something that impacted me was how some Polish families were willing to put their lives at risk just to save a little boy.
• You were so down to earth while talking and that’s super cool.
• I also liked how we could interact with you and ask questions.
• Your story should be heard by everyone.
• I really felt emotional throughout your re-telling because you made it connect.
• I wish that never happened to any of you, it is not right, it is also very heartbreaking to hear, to know that this happened to people – that this is real life.
• Your story inspired me to not only fight against prejudice but to search info my own family’s past.
• You inspired me to speak out about things I believe in and to make sure things like this don’t happen again.
• Your story has inspired me deeply to take action and stand up to anti-Semitism and injustice.
• I am very thankful for your existence.
• Your words have left impressions on an uncountable number of people.
• What you said will stick with me for a lifetime.
• I actually had no idea that Nazi Germany was that brutal, as I’m used to playing video games that glorify the war.
• I realize how now, more than ever, we must make a world based on peace and acceptance
• If you were given a chance to forgive the Nazis for what they had done, would you? Definitely not, neither the planners of the Holocaust nor its administrators and executioners.
• People, in the past, have called me a Nazi because I am of German descent. Thank you for not demeaning me because of something my ancestors did.  (Insulting a person because of their ancestry is pure, low-down prejudice, same as racial, ethnic, religious, or anything else over which the person had zero influence.  People who call you a Nazi are actually insulting themselves, because it shows how narrow-minded and uninformed they are.)