We are going to hear Elly speak on Thursday because I believe that there is no substitute for hearing from people who have directly experienced a part of history. Imagine if you could speak to George Washington instead of just reading about him -- it would be a lot more powerful, right? Today, there are still people in the world who deny that certain genocides have taken place, including the Holocaust (remember the Turkish government and their denial of the Armenian genocide on "60 Minutes?") How can you deny something if there is someone standing right in front of you telling you what they went through? As time passes, there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors to tell their stories, so while you have the opportunity, I'd like you all to hear her speak. I've heard her speak for the past 2 years, and her story is quite compelling. I'll arrange with your teachers to leave class (I'll actually come get you) but remember, you are still responsible for whatever work you have to do on that day. I would suggest going to that teacher during lunch and getting the work in advance. We will discuss this more on Wednesday, but if you'd like to read more background on her beforehand, you can check out her website at http://www.ellygross.com/aboutelly.html
On Thursday at 1:45pm, a woman named Elly Gross is coming in to our school to speak with the 11th grade. They are in the middle of their unit on genocide (which is the topic of their research paper as well) and she is coming to speak to them from first-hand experience. Let me give you the short story on Ms. Gross... She was a teenager in Romania (a European country conquered by the Nazis) when she was shipped off Auschwitz (one of the largest death camps) where her mother and brother were murdered (her father had been taken and murdered earlier). She was spared at Auschwitz, only to be shipped to a slave labor camp, where she worked, as a slave in a VW factory, until liberated by the American army.
We are going to hear Elly speak on Thursday because I believe that there is no substitute for hearing from people who have directly experienced a part of history. Imagine if you could speak to George Washington instead of just reading about him -- it would be a lot more powerful, right? Today, there are still people in the world who deny that certain genocides have taken place, including the Holocaust (remember the Turkish government and their denial of the Armenian genocide on "60 Minutes?") How can you deny something if there is someone standing right in front of you telling you what they went through? As time passes, there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors to tell their stories, so while you have the opportunity, I'd like you all to hear her speak. I've heard her speak for the past 2 years, and her story is quite compelling. I'll arrange with your teachers to leave class (I'll actually come get you) but remember, you are still responsible for whatever work you have to do on that day. I would suggest going to that teacher during lunch and getting the work in advance. We will discuss this more on Wednesday, but if you'd like to read more background on her beforehand, you can check out her website at http://www.ellygross.com/aboutelly.html
7 Comments
Andrew
3/18/2010 11:01:00 am
It was very disturbing to how brutal the Nazis were to them. This experience in my opinion has made her loose faith in g-d. She said "And i was like where is my g-d when i need him. Where was he when all those people died. How could he let that happen." She has gone through a lot of suffering with wanting to reunite back with her family. She also said, "Its what kept me alive, me thinking that i would see them on that Sunday. And every Sunday i would always hope and look forward to it." Also that she has dreams all the time of how her life was back then. You know 13-18 is right about the years where you experience the most changes in your life, and she had no one to help her or guide her. Her mother and brother, who knows what happened to them, and her father was taken to a concentration camp for men only. She is here though and she made it through the storm. It has changed her life forever but what can you do?
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7/29/2012 12:23:37 am
i was just surfing along and came upon your blog. just wanted to say good job and this post really helped me.
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5/6/2014 01:26:14 am
The holocaust is a really sad time.My class is doing in memory of sheets.
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Scott
4/30/2013 03:07:47 am
Hi,
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rebecca
10/21/2014 01:07:21 am
How were you able to get Elly Gross to come speak at your school?
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mcohen00
10/21/2014 11:16:18 am
I can't remember how we first contacted her, but I think we just contacted her and she said yes. We got her to the school, gave her water, etc., but it really wasn't that complicated... But this was a few years ago now...
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