More than 120 students from Paxon Middle School came
face-to-face with a piece of history when Holocaust survivor Henri Landwirth
visited their school on December 4.
Language Arts Teacher Suzanne Copley arranged
Landwirth's visit to give students a better understanding of the Holocaust;
an event the students in her classes became very interested in after viewing
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" and "PaperClips," an
award-winning Holocaust documentary which is the subject of a project being
undertaken by middle and high school students through Duval County Public
School's
Council on Educational Equity and Inclusion (CEEI). The Council's
Paper Clips Project is its first initiative involving students,
giving them a voice to express themselves about critical issues as well as
afford them an opportunity to increase their awareness around diversity and
inclusion.
After viewing "Paper Clips," two of Copley's
eighth-grade classes responded to the movie by creating a Wall of Hate,
which contains artifacts from World War II and a ladder of prejudice.
"Landwirth's visit brought the "Paper Clips" movie
to life," said Copley. "Without the Council of Educational Equity and
Inclusion, and without our study of the Holocaust, the idea to have Landwirth visit Paxon Middle would not have been considered."
Landwirth's presentation to the students began with a
viewing of his movie, "A Gift of Life in America," which gave a brief
overview of his life. Landwirth was a prisoner in five labor and death camps
during World War II, and his life was spared by a Nazi soldier minutes
before he was supposed to be shot. After the war, Landwirth, then 18 years
old, came to the United States with only $20 in his pocket, a sixth-grade
education, and little knowledge of the English language. After years of hard
work, Landwirth became successful in the hotel industry and realized that
his success had several purposes: to help those in need, and to educate
people about the dangers of hate, the power of forgiveness, and the strength
in understanding and appreciating diversity.
During his presentation, Landwirth discussed how he had
much anger toward the Germans after the Holocaust, but that he soon realized
the feelings of anger and hate were ruining his life. He was able to forgive
the Germans, and encouraged the students at Paxon to forgive.
"Look at what hate can do," Landwirth said, referring
to the Holocaust. "How many of you are angry at someone or hate someone?" he
asked the students. Many of them raised their hands. "Many people have
anger, but we need to think about forgiveness and stop hating each other."
Landwirth also encouraged the students to always work
hard, like he did, to make something for themselves. "America is a great
country and you have many opportunities that no one has, but it is up to you
to make it work for yourself," he said. "You are the ones in control of how
your life will be by the choices you make."
For Landwirth, the reaction he receives from students
inspires him to go on, and he will continue to visit many schools to teach
about the Holocaust through his Gift of Life in America Foundation. "The
history of the Holocaust must be remembered always so that another Holocaust
never happens again," Landwirth said.
