Newspapers / The Charlotte Jewish News … / March 1, 2015, edition 1 / Page 6
Part of The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
The Charlotte Jewish News - March 2015 - Page 6 The Children of Auschwitz January 27 marked the 70th year sinee the liberation of Ausehwitz eoneentration eamp, the largest of its kind established by the Nazis. It is estimated that 1.3 to 1.5 million people were de ported to Ausehwitz between 1940 and 1945 and that, of these, at least 1.1 to 1.3 million were murdered. The ones who fared the worst in Ausehwitz were the ehildren, who faeed horrible odds, and in most eases their lives ended upon arrival at the eamp. Those who were deemed able to work were spared from the gas ehambers and it was mainly the boys who sur vived, beeause they were sent to hard labor eamps. Children also sueeumbed fre quently to disease. The water in side the eamp was highly eontaminated and the inmates were forbidden to drink from it. But the ehildren were dehydrated and eonstantly thirsty and drank the water and thus were exposed to the diseases raging in the eamp. And there were those who were seleeted by the infamous Dr. Men- gele and his team of physieians and for most of these ehildren theirs was the worst fate. It has been determined that a very large pereentage of the ap proximately 1.5 million ehildren murdered in the Holoeaust met with their death in Ausehwitz. Now, seventy years after the end to the nightmare of Ausehwitz, through the Butterfly Projeet workshops at the Levine Jewish Community Center, thou sands of students eome to learn what diserimination, prejudiee, bigotry, and hate ean do and to “take a stand” in their everyday lives. They also get to honor the memory of those beautiful, inno- eent ehildren whose only erime was being bom Jewish, by paint ing a butterfly in the name of a speeifie ehild who perished in the Holoeaust and saying that name out loud. In addition, the workshop of fers the rare opportunity to hear stories from Holoeaust survivors and the opportunity to ask them questions about their survival and lives. At the end of eaeh of the work shops, the students are asked to write their refleetions on what they have learned. Following are a few of the many wonderful re sponses: “The symbolism of a butterfly makes sense to me. If you eontain a butterfly and you never let it fly, it does not get to graee the world with its beauty. If you eontain a person and isolate them with dis erimination, they may never do the wonderful things they may have the potential for.” —11th Grader, Porter Ridge High Sehool “I realized today how fortunate I am to have my family and my life. Mr. Bienstoek’s presentation along with the other presentations showed me how real the Holo eaust was for these people and what really happened to them. I also realized that I have a voiee and I ean ehoose to use it or not. It is my ehoiee.” —5th Grader, Orehard Park Elementary Sehool “Listening to the survivor made me feel very disheartened and frustrated, but I think a presenta tion like that is neeessary for all to hear in order to prevent another atroeity from happening. I find it amazing that something as phe nomenal as the Butterfly Projeet was able to eome out of some thing as inhumane as the Holo eaust.” —10th Grader, Myers Park High Sehool “People are equal and do not need to be killed beeause of their raee, religion, ete. Everyone is speeial in their own way.” —7th Grader, East Union Middle Sehool “Every morning you have the ehanee to be a better person than you were yesterday. How often do you take it? Make today a day of ehange.” —10th Grader, Central Cabarrus High Sehool Zikaron v ’tikvah. We remember and hope and, most importantly, teaeh. And yet today, despite all the lessons from the past, the world eontinues to be far less than per- feet: Israel is under eonstant at- taek and still eannot attain lasting peaee. There have been reeent at- taeks against Jews all over the world and anti-Semitism is flaring up in all of Europe. But here, in Charlotte, the sehool buses are rolling into Shalom Park, and at the Butterfly Projeet workshops, a new day has begun. ^ Jewish Educational Loan Fund Contaet Jewish Family Serv- iees for your JELF interest- free edueational loan beginning Mareh 1. Applieations for interest-free loans for post-seeondary eduea- tion (eollege, graduate sehool and voeational programs) will be available to Jewish students in the Charlotte area for the 2015-2016 sehool year from JELF (Jewish Edueational Loan Fund). Jewish Family Serviees is proeessing ap plieations. The loan applieation will be available Mareh 1 - April 30 on JELF’s website at www.jelforg. JELF loans are need-based and offer “last-dollar” finaneing, meaning that JELF provides the final dollars that bridge the gap between a student’s total finaneial resourees and the eost of attending sehool. Applieants must be en rolled full-time in a program lead ing to a degree or eertifieate at an aeeredited institution loeated in the United States, be a U.S. eitizen or have lawful immigration status in the U.S., and be able to demon strate finaneial need (FAFSA ap plieation required). For more information, eontaet info@jelf org or eall 770-396-3080. « Shalom Park Freedom School 2015 Spring Movie Fundraiser: The Rosenwald Schools Shalom Park Freedom Sehool’s Fourth annual spring movie fundraiser features a doeumentary about The Rosenwald Sehools, based on the ineredible story of how Jewish businessman and phi lanthropist Julius Rosenwald, President and Chairman of Sears from 1908-1932, joined with Afriean-Ameriean eommunities in the South to build sehools for them during the early part of the 20th eentury. Please support SPFS’s 5th sum mer of providing a literaey-based summer program for 80 eeonomi- eally disadvantaged seholars by attending the movie fundraiser on Thursday, April 30 at 7 PM at the Sam Lemer Center for Cultural Arts. Tiekets are $10 and will go on sale at the LJCC front desk in April. Light movie refreshments will be served. For more informa tion or to get involved, please eontaet Event Chair Cheryl Alley at ealley@comporium.net or nvisit our website at spfreedom- school.org. ^ P2G COMMUNITY TEEN LEADERSHIP EXCHANGE - JUNE/JULY 2015 \n coilaboTu^or) with the Jewish Federation, Tempie Beth FI, Temple Israel and Consolidated High School of Jewish Studies PART I CHARLOTTE: Welcome Hadera teens and introduce them to the American way of life. Togetherthey will explore Charlotte's Jewish community and all the Queen city has to offer to learn about our cultural differences, tzedokah and leadership. Qune 25 - July 3] Want to hear experiences first hand? Just ask Ari Rabinovich, David Rabinovich, Katy Smith, Jessica Soto or Joey Kelso to share their stories with you! fify till 4 weeks is which indudcs u stihskly from die Jewish l eilenunm of (rreotcr t lumloite. *fioies may voiy according (o cost iffhghi PART II HADERA: Journey to Israel with teens from across the Southeast and spend two weeks with students from Hadera. Travel the country, engage in tikkun olam projects and learn about Israel's politics, culture and society. Enjoy Israeli hospitality and teen life. {July 13-27) For more information, please contact Tal Stein in the Federation office at 704.944.6751 or tal.stein@jewishcharlotte.org.
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 1, 2015, edition 1
6
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75