The holidays are fast approaching and everyone has break on their minds; everyone except the sophomore class. Recently, English II students started the Holocaust Unit and the novel Night by Elie Wiesel. The unit centers around the horrors of World War II in Europe as the novel is Wiesel’s first hand account of how he managed to survive the atrocities that can spawn from hate and prejudice. The sophomore students made a trip to the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills where they were led solemnly through exhibits offering a glimpse into what happened during the world wide depression of the 1930’s, Hitler’s rise to power, and the plan him and his Nazi soldiers carried out in attempt to eradicate those they deemed to be impure. The real, graphic content of the museum was hard hitting for some students.
“I was really shocked [by some of the exhibits]. The most shocking part was the dark room with all the televisions screens showing dead bodies everywhere. It was really sad to see,” Alexes Knill, ‘19, explained. Just a few of the exhibits the students experienced were the history of European Jewish Heritage, Germany’s Descent into Nazism, The Concentration Camp System, and The Aftermath of the War. Interactive parts of the tour included a scale model of a cattle car people were forced into for days on end as they were taken to the concentration camps and the Portraits of Honor hall where students can learn of some the experiences survivors from Michigan had during this time. Students also offered memoriam at the Memorial Wall and Eternal Flame.
The same week of the field trip the students had another source of information to help connect to Wiesel’s novel. A survivor named Martin Lowenberg came to the school and offered a more personal account of his experience from watching how the people of Germany turned on the Jewish citizens, his family being uprooted and separated, and being moved from one camp to another.
While some students may think ‘Why are we learning this?’, there is a big reason behind the english department’s decision to teach this unit. Around this same time, the history department is starting their unit on World War II, but their lessons focus more on America’s role in the war and our conflict with Japan. The English II students are getting to learn about the happenings of the War in Europe.
“We want students to get a different picture of the Holocaust from what they learn in American History. This semester is all about persecution and our goal is to stop it from happening,” Mr. Aulwes, English II teacher, explains as to why this unit is important. The purpose of attending the field trip was to give the kids an authentic view of what it was like at that time and having the speaker come in to tell his story allowed the students to get a personal account.
“It was a unique chance to have [Mr. Lowenberg] come in and speak to the kids. We have never done that before,” Mr. Aulwes commented.
While we are all enjoying the holidays with our friends and families, we should also give remembrance to those did not get to see this year due to persecution and hate.
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