Neither Yesterdays Nor Tomorrows

by George J Elbaum

Seattle World School (SWS) is Seattle Public Schools’ culturally and linguistically diverse high school for newcomer secondary students.  It is one of only a few schools in the country designed as a preliminary entry point for immigrant children in their quest for academic achievement and full participation in American society.  SWS students thus have limited language skills (intermediate ELL level) and most have been in the U.S. for 2 years or less.

Since its students and their families have special needs, SWS has a specialized on-site health center, enrollment center, and family support center. Families are supported to participate in their student’s education and reinforce their academic success. All students have access to extended day academic programs and tutoring six days a week. Volunteers from all over Seattle make these programs possible. Community agencies also work as partners with the school, providing academic support and bolstering the school’s emphasis on multicultural awareness and respect.

Holly Cotton, SWS Language Arts teacher, organized my presentation to her 30 students.  The students’ limited English became apparent when, part way into my talk, I started reading a page from my book, so Holly asked them if seeing my text on the screen would help them follow my reading.  She was prepared for their resounding “Yes!” as she had an overhead projector prepared, anticipating this difficulty.  With me reading and Holly marking my place on the page as seen on the screen, we successfully continued reading and eventually concluded the talk.

Arrangements for my visit to SWS were made by Julie Thompson, Education Associate, Holocaust Center for Humanity.

starting my talk

front row: Thipphaphone, Arecely, Sara and Kimberly – back row: Anika, Nikita, Kevin, Patrick, me, Tin, Holly Cotton, Huong, Donna and Aglae

by George J Elbaum

Islander Middle School (IMS) is the only public middle school (grades 6 thru 8) on Mercer Island.  Its enrollment is approximately 1100 students with 28% minority.  IMS utilizes district-adopted curriculum as the foundation for its core classes as well as offering a variety of engaging learning electives, and it clearly succeeds in this task as it’s ranked an impressive 10^th of 441 Washington middle schools.  The school’s mission statement, “We strive to ensure a challenging, relevant and engaging experience where every student is able to advance to a greater level of understanding, ability and performance,” clearly extends beyond only academics, as it prepares its students to “thrive in today’s cognitive, digital, and global world while sustaining their passion and inspiration for learning.”

In addition to academics, IMS has a strong social and societal focus, presenting and promoting subjects such as race and equality, civil rights, and other current issues of our society.  The monthly Principal’s Message on its website also includes down-to-earth advice for students, such as use and misuse of social media, and a monthly Character Trait Dare, such as honesty, forgiveness, etc, with specific suggestions for students to test themselves on that trait.

As part of the school’s societal focus I was invited to speak about my Holocaust childhood to the entire 8^th grade class (approx. 350 students).  The event was organized by Language Arts teacher Joseph Gushanas and introduced to the audience by Co-Principal Mary Jo Budzuis.  After finishing my talk I was approached by Charlene Steinhauer, a parent of one of the students, thanking and urging me to continue spreading the message.  Many friends and acquaintances have urged me to do the same, referring primarily to today’s political climate.

As such a large audience prevents a truly effective question & answer session, it was held immediately after the talk for several classes (approx. 80-100 students) in another room (see photos below).  Then teacher Gushanas invited me to hold a 2^nd Q&A session with his class of 2 dozen students, a more intimate venue (see photo) which resulted in more questions than the much larger previous group.

My presentation at IMS was arranged by Julia Thompson, Education Associate, Holocaust Center for Humanity.

Student letters and notes and cards and…and…and 🙂 

A few weeks after my talk at IMS I received in the mail a thick packet with a clear window showing that it contained papers of many sizes and colors.  Medical issues kept me from opening it for a week or two, but when I did open it I was amazed by the diversity of its contents: some typed letters on standard paper, some folded into customized notes, some small notes with artistically cut or torn edges on white or colored stock, some with very imaginative designs or ornate lettering, some multi-page arrangements of text with hand-drawn art or “feel-free-to-draw-on” instructions, lots of hearts, one card with multi-color paper clips glued to its outside (per the “Paper Clips” documentary which inspired me to write my book) and inside a folded “sugar cube” as given to me by a Soviet officer in 1945, some done individually or in groups of two or three, some containing confetti glued on the outside or plastic-encased inside, or a heart that pops out on opening, or a creative map/flag of Poland, or a collage of text and Star of David, or a heartfelt poem (below), or a multi-fold paper arrangement, or even an origami bird – all home-made and all saying “Thank You”.  What an imaginative and wonderful present!

In addition to the descriptions above, some of the touching messages and the poem are below.

• I’m so grateful that we have people like you to educate us about the Holocaust. I hope you keep doing what you’re doing, because I know if it touched me it touched others, too.  Thank you.
• It was so inspirational to hear your story during the Holocaust. We all can listen to documentaries and videos but we’ll never know what it was like in person.  It takes a lot of courage to tell your story.
• My favorite story of yours is the one about the sugar cube. It made me cry because it was so heartwarming.
• I’m so thankful that you came to talk to our school. It is a memory that I will never forget.
• The way you presented and told your story will forever change my perspective on life.
• You shared memories that came from pain, loss and luck.
• I learned so many new facts and the heavy impacts it had on your life. You were funny, kept us entertained while still telling us about a hard, rough time.
• I really found it amazing yet awful, all the hell you went through.
• I can’t believe how long you were without your family. I wouldn’t be able to be without my family for that long.  If I had to do that I would be so scared.
• It’s nice to hear a person’s experience from themselves instead of a movie or a book. It makes you feel like you’re experiencing what the person has.  You can relate to one of their experiences.
• I appreciate your courage for standing up in front of a big crowd talking about a difficult topic.
• I also have problems speaking in front of crowds.
• I appreciate that you don’t blame all Germans for what you went through, just the Nazis. Thank you!
• It was such a great experience for me to learn more on this subject – I was interested the entire time! Thank you once again and I hope you continue giving talks and being awesome!!
• The poem
• I hear your story
• How you felt
• How you told people how you dealt
• Someone speaking for the ghetto
• Someone speaking for the dead
• You saw it with your eyes and the words came out of your mouth
• How you smiled and survived when everything went South
• People say it never happened
• Which I wish were true
• But it was real and you faced it
• What I never knew
• I will never understand
• What happened in the war
• But what you did and what you said
• Shook us to our core.

Thank you, Islander Middle School!

with the whole audience

with first Q&A group

with teacher Joseph Gushanas and second Q&A group, his 4th period Language Arts class

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 more than 350 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.  Emphasizing depth of content, the school’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.

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. Students of color represent approximately 30 percent of the student body. Bay students come from more than 84 middle schools—77% from independent schools, 19% from public schools, and 4% from parochial schools and homeschool. Bay’s student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, and 74% of its teaching faculty have advanced degrees.

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.

My presentation to 10^th grade Humanities class was organized by teacher Caitlin King with support from teacher Hannah Wagner, and was arranged by Nikki Bambauer of Jewish Family and Children’s Services.

Letters from Students

A week after receiving a packet of letters from The Bay School students my wife Mimi & I finally made the time to read them, and it was a real pleasure doing so.  The letters were especially thoughtful and perceptive, resulting in many excerpts shown below, and there was also one letter about personal growth that so impressed us in its entirety that I forwarded it to teacher Caitlin King as worthy of her attention.

• You were thoughtful and kind, and the way you live by the Golden Rule was apparent and contagious.  As a young person learning new things everyday, and forming the opinions that will carry me through adulthood, I wanted to say thank you!
• From your presentation I take away the importance of being tolerant, compassionate, accepting and just, as well as sticking up for the minority.
• When you put the number of people whose lives were taken during the Holocaust in the context the total population of San Francisco, the magnitude of the event was clear and very impactful.
• Hearing your story gave me the realization that children in the war had to grow up quickly and learn how to handle their surroundings. From your story I gained a large amount of gratitude for the people in my life, the opportunities and the support I am given daily.  Thank you for giving me a new perspective on the war and how it impacted families and children.
• Hearing about your memories and stories really reached my heart and some of the feelings you described remind me of feelings my grandpa described from that time.
• Thank you for opening your heart and showing us parts of your yesterdays.
• Your story helped me find the emotional feelings behind how horrible the Holocaust was.
• Something that I will take away from your talk today is that people such as myself should be thankful for the blessings they have because they never had to undergo the incredible suffering that Holocaust victims did, nor the incredible suffering that some people still face in the world today. Thank you so much, it was a pleasure to hear your story.
• Your presentation really made me think about how, especially with so much hatred happening in our country these past few months, it is more important than ever that everyone is accepting of others. Thank you so much for coming to speak to our class and opening my eyes to what the real effects of hatred can amount to.
• Hearing your story makes a number on a page feel like millions of stories rather than a tally.
• Beyond your story, I think that your beliefs of leading life without anger and spite will stick with me.
• As you were recounting the events that occurred to you during the war and afterwards, it was interesting to see what you remembered vividly and what you didn’t. It seemed to me that almost everything you remembered was somehow related either to happiness or to luck.
• I thought it was interesting to compare your story with that of Elie Wiesel’s in “Night” and how his main focuses were on survival and grief instead of happiness and luck.
• I learned a lot, not only about the Holocaust but also about my own values.
• I just kept coming back to the fact that the Nazis destroyed so many homes and killed so many people – it was impossible for me to wrap my head around.
• Even though my story does not fully relate to yours, you reminded me and taught me the power of storytelling and how it is more powerful than reading statistics in a history book.
• Your talk was very inspiring to me and reminded me to always strive for inclusiveness and tolerance.
• 

by George J Elbaum

Boston Latin School (BLS) is a public “magnet”/”exam” school founded in 1635.  It’s the oldest school in the United States and it has an economically and culturally diverse enrollment of 2350 students in grades 7 to 12.  BLS seeks to ground its students in a contemporary classical education as preparation for successful college studies and the result is 99% college acceptances of its graduating students.  It accomplishes this with the aid of Small Learning Communities for grades 7 and 8 to ease the transition into its demanding academic environment, which includes a challenging honors curriculum with 24 Advanced Placement courses in addition to the regular course offerings.  In addition to its outstanding academics, BLS also offers extensive extracurricular, athletic, community service and artistic opportunities such as its outstanding choral and instrumental music wherein its students are selected to play with Boston Pops.  BLS was named a 2011 “Blue Ribbon School of Excellence”, the U.S. Department of Education’s highest award, and its reputation in Boston is best described by the city’s premier newspaper: “Latin – the nation’s oldest public school – is a place of vaulting aspirations, an exam school that occupies a singular spot in the city’s civic pantheon.”

My presentation was to several 8th grade classes of English, US History, and Theater Arts, including that of teacher Molly McDonald-Long, who organized this event and was supported by Cate Arnold and Joe Gels.  Judi Bohn of Facing History and Ourselves arranged my talk, as she had most of my talks in the Boston area.

by George J Elbaum

City Arts and Technology High School (CAT) is a small (400 students) college preparatory public high school.  It has a highly diverse student body: 60% Hispanic, 20% Black, 5% Filipino, 5% White, and 10% all other – 75% socioeconomically disadvantaged, 10% English learners, and 18% with disabilities; yet its ambitious task is to transform their students’ lives by preparing them for success in college and beyond.  It does so by providing a rigorous academic experience within a strong community, with small classes and all students taking the course sequence required for application to University of California and other four-year colleges, and with an on-site college advisor who works with students all four years to make sure that they get into a four-year college/university.  CAT success in its focus on college preparation results in 95% of its graduates over the last 3 years currently attending college.

In addition to their academic preparation for college, CAT students also participate in a Workplace Learning Experience (WLE) internship during the 11th and 12th grades, working with an adult mentor within a field they are interested in pursuing.  This has included internships with teachers, doctors, business owners, scientists, politicians, filmmakers, real estate agents, and many others. The mentor works with the student on location once per week for 9 weeks to give the student a “taste” of the work in the field. Students complete a major project for the organization where they work. This program gives students the opportunity to apply their learning and get a sense of what they might want to study in college. Students must meet the clearly defined WLE standards as part of CAT’s graduation criteria.

My talk to 10^th and 12^th grade students was organized by World History teacher Allison McManis and arranged by Nikki Bambauer, Program Coordinator of Jewish Family and Children’s Services

Question to be shared

After the talk I was asked a question which, I feel, is so deep and meaningful and powerful as to be shared here, together with my answer.  “What does the idea of memory mean to you?  How can we help preserve the memory of the Holocaust?”  For most of my life “memory” meant to me simply my personal memories, all that I remembered.  Then, seeing the movie “Paper Clips,” I had the epiphany that my memory of the Holocaust has value to more than just myself but also to others, to a public or collective memory, and I wrote my book “Neither Yesterdays Nor Tomorrows.”  While writing it, I realized that I had even blocked some painful memories from my childhood, probably for self-protection.  Then I started speaking publicly to students about my Holocaust childhood, passing my personal memories to them, and hopefully onward to still others, to a collective memory.  It is this collective memory that will hopefully keep the memory of the Holocaust alive for generations and may reduce the chance, even by a small measure, of that history repeating itself.  That hope is the reason that I keep speaking to students, more than 100 times during the last 7 years, even though each time some pain returns.         

Letters from students

A while after my visit to City Arts & Tech a pack of cards/letters arrived in my mailbox, all made by the students with fanciful drawings, cut-outs, etc. (see photo below).  However, we had just left for Poland where a series of talks had been arranged for me in 7 schools, and where my book had just been translated & published in Polish.  After returning home, my wife Mimi & I read all of them, excerpted those sentences or phrases which really resonated with us because of their sensitivity or empathy, and the results are below.

• I learned that we all have the choice to be a better person.
• The fact that you shared memories that were probably painful to share, it meant a lot to me.
• Thank you for inspiring me to not let anyone discourage me.
• I learned not to take my life for granted.
• Thank you, George, for the experience.  I’ve read many books and watched many movies, but none of it conveyed the experience that you told us, none of it brought real feeling to us like hearing you first hand.
• Thank you for telling your story and allowing yourself to be vulnerable for our sake.  Continue to be strong, and tell your story.

everyone!

by George J Elbaum

This was my 3^rd visit to American High School (AHS), which has an enrollment of 2200 students and, in addition to the usual common core academic program, it has a Sophomore Global Studies program run by teachers Wali Noori and John Creger, which includes the Personal Creed Project.  In the Creed, students are asked to reflect on their main influences, their own values, the qualities they wish to develop in themselves to help their own lives, and the difference they want to make in the lives of others or the world.  This not only gives students an opportunity to share their own stories in the classroom but it also includes an extensive curricular exploration of the Holocaust and through it, a focus on others.

As the culmination of the Holocaust unit of instruction, Wali Noori and John Creger organized my presentation as an opportunity for the 100+ students from their classes to hear my personal story.  As an introduction, Jack Weinstein of Facing History & Ourselves (who arranged this talk and had previously guided AHS teachers about the content of this instruction unit) spoke to the students about the importance of learning about the Holocaust directly from the few remaining survivors, and for the students to pass it onward someday when no survivors remain.  My talk resulted in a great Q&A session with many thoughtful and penetrating questions from the students.  In attendance were also AHS teachers Anna Misra, Nathaniel Broguiere, Tai Bambusa and some of their students.

Front and center with teachers Wali Noori and John Creger, and Facing History’s Jack Weinstein

the audience

by George J Elbaum

Castro Valley High School (CVHS) is a comprehensive 9-12 public high school with approximately 3000 students of high diversity.  In the 10^th grade students study the history of the Holocaust as part of the coverage of World War II, and English teacher Yvonna Shaw takes them on a parallel journey using literature including Maus by Art Spiegelman as well as a presentation by a Holocaust survivor. Many students in that grade level have also read The Diary of Anne Frank or Elie Wiesel’s Night.

This two-pronged, cross-disciplinary approach ensures that students not only have a factual background and an understanding of how the Holocaust evolved in the context of World War II, but also a sense of the psychological and individual toll connected with this history.   Maus is drawn from personal experiences of a child of survivors, a graphic novel depicting the relationship between a father and son deeply impacted by history.  The legacies of the Holocaust are not only global and geo-political, as the students learn from their study of history and literature, but also personal and rooted in the family lore of all who survived.  Some of the students had heard the testimony of a Kindertransport survivor earlier this semester, as part of another curricular journey in social studies.

CVHS has a long-time connection with Facing History and Ourselves through several teachers on staff who have accessed support and materials over many years.  With recent shifts in faculty through retirements and other changes, Yvonne Shaw now represents a new generation of Facing History teachers at the school.  She is introducing the resources to others on the campus, including veteran and newer members of the staff.  One result of my talk is that some teachers may now choose to attend an upcoming seminar with Facing History so that they can broaden and deepen their exploration of the subject next year.

The Q & A session after this presentation, as also at most of my presentations at schools over the past year, included questions not only about my Holocaust childhood but also about the rise of domestic and international tensions sweeping the world’s political landscapes as triggered by the tides of refugees seeking safety from mid-East conflicts.  The students’ questions reflect their and perhaps their parents’ concerns and fears.

My presentation to the school’s 10^th grade students was organized by Yvonna Shaw and arranged by Jack Weinstein of Facing History, who gave the introduction to my talk plus an ending about the importance of first-hand witness testimony.  Other teachers attending the presentations were Lena Frazee, Stacy Kania, and Katie Stacy, and Principal Blaine Torpey.

Jack Weinstein’s introduction

my talk

by George J Elbaum

Tennyson High School is a comprehensive public high school in Hayward, CA, with approximately 1,300 students. The school is extremely diverse and serves many students for whom English is a second language.  In both social studies and English courses, teachers make use of resources from Facing History and Ourselves to teach about the Holocaust as well as other difficult subjects.

This was my second visit to Tennyson (first time was last May), and it was preceded by preparatory sessions by Jack Weinstein, Sr. Program Advisor for Facing History and Ourselves, with the school’s English and World History classes.  Some of the topics students had been exposed to prior to my talk included a strong review of the basic historical narrative of the Holocaust, an introduction to the evolution of Nazi policy, and a chance to ask questions about Jewish life in Europe and about Judaism in general. The students had also visited the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, so that their study of Elie Wiesel’s Night and their encounter with a survivor of the Holocaust would not be the only exposure to shape their knowledge about Jews and Judaism. 

My talk was organized by World History teacher Jaynee Ruiz (who also took most of the photos) and English teacher Charlie Stephens, and arranged by Facing History’s Jack Weinstein, who gave the introduction.  Jack also participated in the Q & A, which started in a quite restrained mode but blossomed into a more robust series of exchanges that touched on questions of history, philosophy, theology, and more personal questions about politics today and the parallels and distinctions that I see between current and historical events.

Among the more interesting questions posed were “Are you ever angry at the world because of what happened in your life?” and “Did your childhood change your faith in God, or do you still believe in God?”  Some of the heartfelt questions asked by these sophomores made my visit to Tennyson a truly enjoyable experience, and hopefully this was true for the students, also.

by George J Elbaum

This was the third consecutive year that I spoke at Academy SF, the new name chosen for the ex-Academy of Arts and Sciences to better establish its own identity as a school separate from the School of the Arts, with which it shares one campus.  Academy SF is a small public high school with a total enrollment of 350 students (82% minority and 48% economically disadvantaged) and its program focuses on “the three Rs:  RELATIONSHIPS, RELEVANCE and RIGOR,” starting with a belief that strong RELATIONSHIPS are the most fundamental part of a successful school.  If students do not feel supported and cared at school, then their academic and social-emotional success in school is compromised.  Also, if students feel that what they are learning is not RELEVANT to them, they are less engaged and less likely to have a positive academic experience.  Finally, if students have a positive relationship with their teachers and staff members and enjoy a relevant learning experience, then the school can provide them with a RIGOROUS curriculum and expectations.  In this respect, the school’s behavioral focus is encouraging students to be positive and free-thinking about their future, modeling respect, empathy, and valuing equity.  The Academy’s small school setting allows its 18 full-time teachers to create an effective learning environment by working closely with students and their families in building a strong community.  Within this community, teachers are able to give more individual attention to students and communicate regularly with parents.

The school also has a unique Wellness Center and Program whose goal is to provide support for students so they may succeed academically and be healthy in body, mind and spirit. To accomplish this, the Wellness Program coordinates and provides non-judgmental, student-focused health, mental health, and substance abuse services and programs for students on campus.

The audience was the school’s entire 10^th grade, and the whole event was organized by history teacher Claire Darby and arranged by Jack Weinstein of Facing History and Ourselves.  Also present were English teacher Ellie Williams and paraprofessionals Paula Rojas, and Erin Lochary.

13

with Claire Darby’s World History class

by George J Elbaum

Norfolk County Agricultural High School is a public high school with enrollment of over 500 students from Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 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 until graduation.  About 80% of students attend a 2 or 4-year college, and others go to work in many of the fields they studied during their time at the Aggie.

The school’s academic studies include English Language Arts, Social Studies, Sciences and Mathematics.  As part of Social Studies, teacher Wendy Harlow (who organized my visit) teaches civil rights, Holocaust and Human Behavior, and Genocide in the Modern World.  Her students learn to take their civic responsibility seriously, and last year they started their own support effort for transgender rights, per the link below:  http://walpole.wickedlocal.com/news/20160101/students-say-not-in-our-school.  My talk was attended by the entire Freshman class, Seniors in the Facing History elective, plus teachers Wendy Harlow, Brian Kelly, Sam Stupak, Tara McFarland, Mike Ryan, Aaron Chernisky, Stephanie Russo, Amanda Camara, Andrew Davis, Lauren Zysk, Lisa Garrett, Karl Roos, Lauren Zysk, Amber Hall, Katelyn Raftery, Leah Barton, Katie Martin, Dr. Eileen Czyrklis, and librarian Katrina Elich, as well as guidance counselor Joe Huff, assistant principal Sean Crowley, and principal Michael Cournoyer.

My visit was arranged by Judi Bohn, Special Projects Coordinator for Facing History and Ourselves, and for our arrival Wendy Harlow and the English department prepared a “welcome committee” of four students who escorted us to the auditorium and jointly introduced me reading a brief synopsis of my subject and background (see photo below).  It was a very warm welcome, and much appreciated.

with the students, plus flowers and bag of gifts!