Bet Sefer Shittim (the Acacia School) in the Central Arava region is the local school for the children in the region. It consists of both a primary and secondary school and I am privileged to be able to work as an English teacher in both.
In the secondary school, I have been warmly accepted as a member of the English department. The teachers in this department are: Nadav (who only teaches one class as he is the principal), Denise, Gila, Glynn and Pinchas. On Monday 5 January, I attended a very meaningful ceremony in Year 7, organised by Denise and Glynn - a twinning ceremony between each of the children in the class, and a child who never got to have a bar/batmitzah because he/she was killed during the Holocaust.
In Melbourne, such a vast majority of the Jewish community are descendants of Holocaust survivors. Yom Hashoah is a not just a day when we remember people in general who were murdered by the Nazis but rather, a day when families remember their lost ones. In contrast, growing up in South Africa, I and most of my friends were fairly removed from the events of the Holocaust and the memorial day for this terrible period in our history did not touch most of us personally. So it is in the Arava. Most of the children here do not have a personal connection with the Holocaust. However, it is part of the national fabric of the country and of the Jewish people and as such, it is important for them to learn about it.
The students were asked to find the name of a child who perished in the Holocaust and gather some basic information about this child. Each student wrote a short paragraph in English and practised it in order to be able to present it in a public forum. Public speaking is a challenging task for the best of us and how much more so in a foreign language! On the day of the ceremony, the excitement in the class was palpable. Some were nervous but all were looking forward to the experience. The proceedings began with a piece of writing read out by Glynn and one of the students. Each line began: 'At my barmitzvah ...', with the student completing the sentences with what is relevant to him and his friends in today's day and age whilst Glynn completed each sentence with what children during the Holocaust experienced at the time of their bar/batmitzvah.
As each student read what he/she had written and by so doing, the memory of the souls of the children who perished was perpetuated. |A candle was placed infront of each student and as the words emanated, Denise lit the candle. The students were serious, the mood was sombre and it was clear to all observing that this was something these Year 7 students would remember forever.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Denise read a story about a man who survived the Holocaust. Whilst in a concetration camp, he celebrated a birthday and was given half a loaf of bread as a gift from his family. He was so cognisant of the fact that in order to provide him with this gift, the members of his family had to go without bread themselves that he found it difficult to eat. However, they were adament that he should enjoy his birthday meal. The man made a vow that if he were to survive and have a family of his own, he would celebrate his own son's barmitzvah with an abundance of bread for his guests. And so it came to pass.
Denise became extremely emotional during the reading and the students listened intently. When asked what they had learnt from the project as a whole, many responded that it is important to be grateful for everything that we have and also, to remember those who can't have anything anymore because they are no longer alive. The teachers and parents who attended the ceremony were clearly moved by both the content and the enthusiastic participation of the kids. Kudos to Denise and Glynn for a job well done.
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