Dec. 9, 2019
By Valentina Novak
Staff Writer
Thirty students got the opportunity to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York on Nov. 26 to learn about the Holocaust, a genocide that led to the deaths of 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jews.
Over the course of two hours, the students—most of whom are students in Ms. Pastor’s English II-Honors classes—were led through a three-story exhibition titled “Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away.” The guides touched on some of the key artifacts that are included among the 700 original objects and 400 photographs pertaining to Auschwitz, a former complex of concentration and death camps in Poland.
As students made their way through the exhibit—which showcases life before, during and after the Holocaust—they viewed videos from the 1930s and ‘40s as well as more recently recorded survivor testimony.
Sophomore Alexis O’Rourke said she was drawn to the smaller artifacts in the museum.
“I saw a baby’s dress that was light pink. It made me think of the innocent children’s lives that were taken that could have had a bright future ahead of them,” O’Rourke said.
She said seeing the specific artifacts from the time period put the atrocity into perspective.
“Seeing all the things the Jewish [people] had to endure, I can’t even imagine—nor do I want to—the pain they felt. I felt like I was experiencing a glimpse of their pain,” O’Rourke said.
Sophomore Stephanie Mizeski said the exhibition, which will be on display through Aug. 30, 2020, equipped her with an important life lesson.
“No matter the research, the empathy and the reading I do, I can never fully understand what those Jews had gone through. This drives me to learn and try my best to understand.”
“What I learned from this experience is to be thankful for what you have. Seeing that these victims had absolutely nothing makes me realize that I should be more grateful for everything that I have,” Mizeski said. “Seeing what the Jews went through first hand made me feel as if I was as hopeless as they were,” Mizeski said.
Sophomore Francesca Castagnetti said she decided to attend the field trip to better understand the tragedy of the Holocaust and the personal stories that accompany it.
“I get upset thinking about the cruel wrongdoings the victims of the Holocaust endured and would like to empathize with them in the only way possible, if possible at all,” Castagnetti said. “What interests me about the Holocaust is the idea that I can never fully understand it. No matter the research, the empathy and the reading I do, I can never fully understand what those Jews had gone through. This drives me to learn and try my best to understand.”
Castagnetti, who said she was especially drawn to a shoe and small purse belonging to victims of the Holocaust, said she intends to pass on what she has learned to future generations.
“I found comfort in the idea that even with the smallest sentiment, people, families, towns and more all can be remembered and honored to this day,” said Castagnetti.
PHOTOS BY ANGELENA BARCIA AND ALYSSA FERRARA On Nov. 26, students from Ms. Pastor’s English II-Honors and several other LHS students toured the “Auschwitz: Not Long Ago. Not Far Away” exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. The exhibition will be on display through August 30.
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