Holocaust Education is Vital
Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager
At The Florida Holocaust Museum, we offer the unique opportunity for students and visitors to hear a Holocaust Survivor give their personal testimony.
Hearing Survivor stories in person enables Museum visitors to translate the history of the Holocaust from abstract, staggering numbers into compelling experiences of individual human beings whose lives were directly impacted by the choices of other individuals.
We often receive letters from students and visitors who have visited the Museum. Below are two heartfelt letters that we received recently from students who were very affected by their experience at The FHM.
Letter #1: “Thank you for teaching not only me, my class, but all the fifth grade classes on how you survived the Holocaust. I now know more about the Holocaust. It didn’t even come to my mind that most kids had a terrible childhood or some didn’t even live to see their childhood. I also know now that it is up to our generation of kids to make sure nothing like this will happen. Another thing that I learned from you is that the Holocaust was far more dangerous than I thought. There’s a book that we’re reading in class. The book is not as intense as it was in the real world because it is a children’s book. I understand it may have been tough for you to talk about the terrible past and that’s why I thank you.” -Fifth Grade Student
Letter #2: “Thank you for coming to the museum to speak to us. Your story was very inspiring. I feel that it is very important to share your story because the next generation children won’t have a chance to meet a Survivor like you. You are very blessed to have found people who were willing to hide you for 10 months! Your story has inspired me to never give up. I have already shared your story with my 3 cousins and I plan to share it with many more people as well. I feel very lucky to have an opportunity to meet you and ask you questions. Your story was very intense and I am very glad that you survived. Thank you again for sharing your story with us.” -Seventh Grade Student
Holocaust education is vital in ensuring that students learn to adapt the lessons of the Holocaust into their own lives by embracing different opinions and world views and the need for mutual respect among individual human beings as part of a multifarious, open-minded, democratic society.