Day At The Holocaust Memorial

"Developing the whole child, academically, socially, and emotionally are all targets of IHAD" are words written in a grant proposal and were exemplified on Monday, December 19 2011. This Monday marked the first weekday of the Winter Break, but the Dreamers still made the conscious decision to attend a field trip at the Holocaust Memorial.

The small group of Dreamers learned about the Holocaust (1933-1945): the persecution of Jews, gypsies, Methodists, and homosexuals by Hitler's regime who considered the previously mentioned groups to be inferior and responsible for the economic state of European Germany at the time. This history lesson and tour were facilitated by actual Holocaust survivors Mrs. Riva Rosenblat and Mr. Maurise Trojanowski. Mrs. Rosenblat actually shared how her family hid in forests at that time and how here grandmother died in a concentration camp after a few days.

The Dreamers really soaked up the information that were given this day. Not only were they alert to what was being shared by the survivors, but they asked great questions!! Through their questions, we learned many things: the term "ghetto" was coined during the Holocaust when Jews were restricted to certain parts of the city and underwent curfews and rationing of food; "Holocaust" means "sacrifice by fire"; twins were experimented on during the Holocaust; Jews were stripped of their names/identity and branded with a number as a new form of identification; and many members of Hitler's regime moved to Argentina after the Holocaust ended.

The Memorial has a mural illustrating the history of the Holocaust. At the center of the Memorial, is a large hand sculpture with people coiled around it. Mrs. Rosenblat asked the sculptor what's the meaning behind the structure and his response was, "What does it mean to you?" Mrs. Rosenblat's interpretation of it is: a hand reaching up to God.

The following pictures will give followers of this blog a glimpse of what the Dreamers experienced on this day. But, if given the chance, visit the Memorial on your own...it is a great experience whether you are of Jewish descent or not. Again, a special THANK YOU to Mrs. Rosenblat and Mr. Trojanowski for sharing their stories!!

Dreamers gather around to hear the Survivors speak

The tour begins

Sign at the entrance of a labor camp. It means "work will set you free." Forced to make this sign, the Jews turned the "B" upside down...a subtle, yet brave act of resistance.

Jewish twins underwent very invasive experiments and were left to perish afterwards

Written on the walls of this tunnel were names of the many concentration camps

A torch with "XXIII Psalm" written below

A list (not a complete one) of families persecuted during the Holocaust...



Holocaust Survivors Mrs. Rosenblat and Mr. Trojanowski (center) & the Dreamers