What is the March of Remembrance & Hope?

I felt that it would be beneficial if I provided you with a quick summary of what the March of Remembrance & Hope (MRH) is, and what the goals are of the programs for the students involved.


For over a decade, MRH has brought together students from diverse backgrounds for this transformative, experiential learning opportunity.  It engages them on every level: heart, mind, and spirit and equips them with the tools they need to take action against racism, prejudice, and discrimination.


The March of Remembrance & Hope takes students selected on a six months educational journey that includes two months of interactive preparation leading up to the nine day Holocaust/genocide study and leadership mission in Germany and Poland.  Three months later, they reconvene for a 3-day leadership retreat to develop action plans for post-program projects. (MRH website)


Now that I have been placed in my Core Learning Group (CLG #1) we will interact in four Webinar's (one of which has already taken place) over the next two months.  The purpose of these Webinars is to get to know each other a receive some valuable information on the topics we will be discussing on the trip.  In addition to our Webinars that take place a portal will be launched that will allow everyone in the group to reflect on articles our educators post, post articles we find that we would like to share with other, and allow us to discuss the events the will take place over the next few months.


Throughout our time in Germany/Poland we will be travelling with the staff from The Canadian Centre for Diversity as well as two Holocaust survivors and two educators.  In having these individuals travel with us it is hoped that we will be provided with as much information and tools as possible to gain the most of this experience.


As I receive more information in terms of what will be taking place when we are in Europe I will keep you up to date.


Listening to: Swim - Jack's Mannequin

Set the Stage.

It is important to provide you with some general facts about WWII and Anti-Semitism, the facts/figures posted below are provided by a MRH Lecture presented by Dr. Catherine Chatterley (University of Manitoba).  These are both key facts that are important to better understanding Anti-Semitism and its relation to WWII, as well as, facts that I found intriguing and would like to look into further.


Definition of Anti-Semitism: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group (Merriam-webster.com)


General Information:
-  Anti-Semitism has existed for thousands of years; the only new concept that Hitler introduced to Anti-Semitism was that of Death camps
- Theology: association between the Jews and the devil (Jews killed Jesus); in the imagination is what gives the Jews the power (accusation of conspiracy; Jews work against society)


Relationship Between Anti-Semitisn & Racism

- Xenophobia: hatred of the stranger/unknown/other (common to all human groups)

- Racism: European concept; like animals are divided into species; similar to concept of nations

- Traditional anti-semitism

    - 1800 to 1900 years old

    - instead of religion making Jews different, not a racial explanation and now has become a     

      part of their blood (there is a science to it)

- Anti-semitism

   - not race/racial in its inception

    - religious; based on Christian theology

    - much older, more complex than racism


Specific Information to WWII:

- Hilter was able to set his idea in motion through German society via propaganda
- Invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, where Hitler believed was where the creation of Jews and their conspiracy took place
- There were 6 death camps, all located in Poland
- Other groups targeted secondarily to the Jews: Polish, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah Witness (due to not agreeing to fight due rejection of Hitler's theories) [all added to the extermination lists in 1942]


Numbers:
- 1.3M people were sent to Auschwitz over the course of WWII; 1.1M were killed by the end of January 1945
    - hundreds of Jehovah Witnesses and Homosexuals
    - 15,000 Prisoner's of War (POWs)
    - 21,000 Roma
    - 70,000 Poles in politics
    - 1M Jews (many children and infants)
- 6M+ Jews were killed (4M have been named), known to be upwards of 7/8M total
- Killed 2/3s of Jewish Europe
   - fragmented communities left, wiped out/greatly diminished very old populations



" Do not believe, in anything simply because you have heard it.  Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumoured by many.  Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.  Do not believe in anything because merely on the authority of your teachers or elders.  Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.  But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reasons and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." - Hindu Prince Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism

Stories Retold

* this blog entry is a work in progress... (finish entries, fixing spacing)

As I have a personal interest in the topic of World War II and the Holocaust I have read a number f books and viewed a number of movies over the years in order to further familiarize myself with the time period and the events that occurred.  I hope that these resources will be beneficial to you in better understanding the issues surrounding the Holocaust or continue to build on the knowledge that you may already have.

Books
- Night (Elie Wiesel)


- Diary of Anne Frank (Anne Frank)

Movies

- Downfall (2004):Takes place in April of 1945, as the Russian army is closing in from the East and from the West the Allied Expeditionary Force.  The story is told through the narration of the former secretary of Adolf Hitler who worked alongside him throughout the war.  The movie takes you through in great detail the dramatic decisions made and the life altering choices that took place in the Berlin bunker during the end of WWII.
Out of every movie I have seen to date this was the only one that has told the story of the final days of WWII from the perspective of the Nazis and Hitler himself.  To see the soldiers of the Nazi army sitting in the halls of the bunkers as they shake, while the opposition approaches.  I personally feel that the set design and depiction of the massive underground system that Hitler had built is unlike anything and it really sets the seen that every book outlines about how big the system he built under Berlin really was. The decisions that certain individuals made during the final moments of Nazi power will shock the viewer, as many of these facts are not recorded in many books.  Hitler himself who cowardly chose to commit suicide with his life and have his body burned to not allow the allied forces to find him dead or alive.  Once he is gone it is difficult for anyone to maintain organization among the troops or the city and faster than before things slip away for the Nazis as liberation apporaches for the city and Europe.
 - The Pianist (2002):

A pianist, a Polish Jew, Wladyslaw Szpilman lives as the Nazis place restrictions on his people and his family is deported to Nazi Labour camps.  He is able escape capture and being shipped off by moving through/living in the ruins of Warsaw.  Before the war occurred Szpilman was a said to be the most accomplished piano player in all of Poland. Throughout his time in the Warsaw ghetto attempting to survive being caught by the Nazis he was able to witness the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19 - May 16, 1943) and the Warsaw Uprising (August 1 - October 2, 1944).  He is able to survive throughout the final months of his hiding due to the assistance from a Nazi Solider by the name of Hosenfeld (who sadly died after the way in a  Soviet gulag in 1952).
(IMDb.com)

This has to be one of the best, if not my favourite movie adaptation of a story from the Holocaust.  The movie does not only an impeccable job of detailing the story but, also does extreme justice by depicting what the country and the ghetto would look like over the duration of the war.  The story itself is one that is sad, but lets the viewer into a situation that was all to familiar to Jews during this time, coming home and having no one left.  The struggle Szpilman faces is true and to watch him wither away throughout the movie you almost wonder if he will make it.  I feel I am drawn to this movie in such a strong way because the film provides the viewer and opportunity to see/feel first hand what it would be like for a individual on their own to struggle and try to face every obstacle placed against them throughout the ordeal.

- Uprising (2001): Jews rise up in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazis in 1943.  A memoir of the rebellion that held back the Nazis for almost a month in 1943.  They did one thing the Nazis never expected, they fought back.  By the end of 1942, those living in the ghetto realize they are doomed, and the rudiments of the resistance are planned by a handful of the young residents. (IMDb.com)

I remember watching this movie on TV in Grade 6, we had the opportunity to 'Teach for a Period', an activity that our teacher Mrs. Speed encouraged because she wanted us to learn about topics that interested us and then share them with our peers.  I was so moved by this movie at such a young age that I felt compelled to share the video with the class (which at the time we probably should not have watched it due to the violence but my teacher felt just as strongly as the subject as I did).  Once the class viewed the movie we had to ask them to complete an 'educational' component.  From what I recall I believe we asked them to right a paper reflecting on how the movie made them feel, and then following that up by indicating if they would/would not stand up and fight against the Nazis if they knew they may die anyway.  Since I have not seen this movie in a number of years, I am a little fuzzy on the details but if I recall correctly the basis of the movie is a group of young people living in the Warsaw ghetto who feel that enough is enough, if their potential sentence from the Nazis is death anyway maybe they should try their best to stand up for themselves/what they believe in.

Meeting New Friends!

This evening the first of four Webinars was held for our Core Learning Group.  There are two Core Learning Groups (CLG) for the trip and we are divided into 30 students on each bus.  Our CLG will be our family for the trip, we will get to know each other via Webinars, we will travel together, we will interact in learning sessions with on another and we will be there for each other.  I am a proud member of CLG #1!!!


I am SOOOOOO happy with my CLG right off the bat we were all getting to know each other via the chat provided in our Webinar and then we were able to get the Facebook Group up and going which will allow to communicate whenever we feel fit.  These past 3 hours have been a whirlwind and all the people that I have spoken to have been absolutely great people and I can't wait to interact with the other members!  It is amazing to see a group of young individuals all passionate about a common cause and ready to go on this trip to come back and make a positive impact on our family, friends, and our communities.


Over the next few weeks we will starting interacting on our Google Group by posting articles we individually find, reflecting on articles our Team Leaders post and also discussing how we are feeling about certain issues as the trip quickly approaches.


It is surreal that we will depart two months today!  I cannot wait to see what the next two months leading up to this trip have to offer and what an incredible experience awaits all of the participants when we depart on this journey of a life time!


a.


Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
- Frank Outlaw

The Third Reich Movie

Just having returned from my short trip to NYC I thought I'd share a movie I watched a portion of on the flight from Buffalo to JFK.  The movie was called "The Third Reich" and was put together by the History Channel and takes you back to the early 1930s when Hitler took on the role of Chancellor and chronologically guides the viewer through many major, as well as, some less publicized events from the years leading up to World War II, during the Holocaust and after.  I have yet to view the whole movie but am hoping to order it so that I can watch the whole movie as I fill it will give me a great break down of all the events.


I will post a blog in the next few days on books I've read and movies I've viewed over the past few years on the Holocaust that I think will be beneficial for people to take the time to look into.


a.


Listening to: What's Going On? - All Star Tribute

Surviors

After learning which survivors we would be granted of having the opportunity to have on the tour with us I decided to do some research to learn more about them.


Faigie Libman: 
Ms. Libam is one of the youngest Holocaust survivors from Kaunas (Kovno), Lithuania.  She was raised in a privileged household, the only child of a close-knit family that included her mother, a nurse, and her father, an intellectual.  In 1941, at the young age of seven, she and her family were forced to enter the Kovno Ghetto, where they underwent brutal hardships that included Ms. Libman's first experience in a labour camp.  When the ghetto was liquidated in 1944, her father was taken to Dachau and the family never saw him again.  Mrs Libman and her mother were transferred to the Stuttof Concentration Camp, and then to three slave labour camps, before they were liberated by the Soviet Red Army.  They lived in a Displaced Persons Camp in Austria until 1948 before coming to Canada.  Ms. Libman and her mother were the only survivors of their entire extended family.  (Seneca College Site)

Pinchas Gutter:
Born in Lodz, Poland, he was only seven years old when the war broke out.  His family went to Warsaw because they thought it would be safer but ended up being incarcerated in the Warsaw Ghetto for more than three years.  His family was deported to Majdanek.  The day they arrived after the horrible journey, his entire family was murdered at the camp.  Pinchas was taken to labour camps, including Buchenwald  where he was forced to load and unload weights of iron.  Pinchas barely survived the death march to Theresienstad.


He was liberated in 1945 and taken to Britain with other children for rehabilitation. Pinchas lived many years in South Africa, then immigrated to Canada in 1985.  Since arriving in Canada, Pinchas had dedicated his spare time to caring for the aged, helping the disadvantaged and lecturing on the Holocaust.  He served as the Honorary Jewish Chaplain at Toronto Jail and Chaplain at St. Elizabeth Hospital and still serves at the Harold and Grace Baker Home for the Aged.  Pinchas was the President of Baycrest Men's Service Group and was honoured as Man of the year by Baycrest in 2001.  He lectures on the Holocaust in Toronto, the United States, and South Africa and has participated in the March of Living.  He is a member of the committee overseeing help for Holocaust survivors in need at the Jewish Children and Family Services and he is the honourary Cantor in Kiever Synagogue. (Newsontario.ca)

Links of Interest:

'I am Going to Fight for Him'

Film Featuring Both Participants & the March of Remembrance and Hope:

Healing Voices Film

- all clips of the film can be found on YouTube

"If they're willing to learn, there is a future." - Faigie Libman

Details Streaming In!

More emails coming in today as I can a better insight into the details of the MRH trip.

So far:

- I am in Core Learning Group/Bus 1 along with 29 other participants

- The group will take part in a full day of orientation the day we leave for the trip in order for us to all get to know each other/prepare for the road ahead of us

- I depart on May 15th from Toronto at 6.20 in the evening where we will connect in Frankfurt airport before moving onto Berlin

- I have 4 Webinars coming up over the next few weeks in order to learn more about the other participants and to gain valuable background knowledge for the trip

- We have to survivors who will be traveling with us throughout the trip to provide us with first hand experience tours of the various sites

- I will be required to read, "A History of the Holocaust" by Yehuda Bauer in preparation for the journey

The more details I receive the more the excitement builds. 

Listening to: Across the Universe - The Beatles

Media Attention

In the past few weeks there have been a number of headlines in the news regarding people in the world making anti-semetic statements.  Unfortunately, many of these people are individuals who are in the spotlight and are those in which some look up to.  Many are unsure why these comments have been made, additionally, there is the underlying issue of if these statements or videos are even true.

Comments such as these made in general or to specific individuals are not appropriate and many take offence.  Personally when anti-semitic comments are made I find them similar to when someone calls a person a 'douche' or 'homo'.  As someone who has gay friends these snide remarks directly impact my friends and indirectly impact me.  

It's sad that it has to take someone 'famous' making these comments for light to be brought upon this issue.  There are people out there everyday who make these racist remarks but it goes unnoticed for the most part expect to those who are directly/indirectly affected.  The bottom line is that no one should be making comments such as this at any time to anyone.  There is not need for such hatred and all it takes it one person to be the beginning to the end.


Listening to: Young Blood - The Naked & Famous

And the emails arrive.

The first of many emails has found itself to my inbox this afternoon.  Nothing too detailed yet just information on general items and such.  However, an itinerary from last year was included and there are no words for how AMAZING this trip is going to be.

I'm not going into a lot of detail just yet as things can change from year to year but as soon as I have this year's a will share it.  The historical places and areas of Germany/Poland we will be visiting are places I have only dreamed of and to potentially have them all packed into one experience in unimaginable.

More to come from me soon!

a.

Listening to: Shout it Out - Hanson

A Story Retold...

This article was published in the Hamilton Spectator on Friday February 25th, 2011.
The author discusses how Auschwitz will be updated with funding in order to tell retell its story to those of the present and future generations.  It highlights how important it is to explain to those who visit all of the acts and decisions that took place at the camp during the time of the war.


From memorializing to teaching: Auschwitz updates its purpose for a different generation

 “When I am at Auschwitz I start looking at the world and at my own life. I remind myself of what’s important, which is so easy to forget. In the kingdom of death you can find the meaning of life. At the biggest cemetery in the world I know what I live for.”

- Marek Zajac