Park hosted Holocaust speaker, Judi Shink, Mar. 11 in the auditorium. All Park sophomores were required to go, but many other students and staff went as well. Hosting a speaker to educate students about the Holocaust is a newer tradition at Park. This year, Park hosted Judi Shink, whose four grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust. In her speech, she highlighted her Grandpa Jack and his story, before, during and after his experience in the Holocaust.
According to English teacher Ryan Dear, many people, including those in Park’s Jewish Student Union, contributed to the effort to have a Holocaust speaker come to talk at Park. She said it could not have been done with just one person, and collaboration made it possible.
“Planning for the Holocaust speaker was a collaborative effort across JSU (Jewish Student Union), a parent who recommended the speaker, Principal Paddock and coordinating with other teachers in regards to requiring it for the tenth-grade class and seeing who else might want to come,” Dear said.
According to speaker Judi Shink, it is essential to remember history and to continue teaching students about topics such as the Holocaust. She said it is important to realize the true depths of the Holocaust and remember the stories of those who were a part of it.
“Survivors have pasts and there are so many reasons (why it’s important to continue spreading awareness), but it is especially important for families and important that we remember the 1.5 million children,” Shink said. “History follows us. It doesn’t mean it continues the same way, but if we don’t remember these names and people we won’t be able to learn from it, and we can’t understand it. We have to understand history in order to make choices today.”
According to junior Sophia Sangster, she learned from the details in the story about Grandpa Jack, told by Shink. She said she learned that there is more beyond the surface of certain people’s actions in their lives.
“Something I learned from the Holocaust speaker is that if (a person you might know) acts a certain way or does something really specific, there is most likely a reason behind it,” Sangster said. “Like how Grandpa Jack always said it was his birthday when they went out to restaurants because he did not know his actual birthday due to the Holocaust.”
Dear said it is crucial to teach more people about the Holocaust to ensure that people understand the true extent of the atrocities that occurred and can realize that it was not as far back in history as some people assume. She also said by telling stories, more people will be educated which creates connections with the current generation.
“It’s important to continue educating people about the Holocaust because it was such a horrific and tragic event that I think we can learn a lot from (it) in terms of how fascist leaders and governments arise and to make sure that those conditions aren’t repeated,” Dear said. “It’s really important for us to embrace our differences as a society. I also think the Holocaust and other events in history too are seen as events that are in the past that we have moved past, it was more recent than most people realize. For the speaker to have her grandparents be survivors shows us that it wasn’t even that far back (in history), and it makes it all more real and personal. Only by telling these personal stories can we connect to them. I think it’s hard to connect to the statistics of how many Jewish people were killed, but if we can connect it to stories like Grandpa Jacks, it’s much more powerful.”
According to Sangster she was touched by the speech and has gotten to grasp more information through a story she did not know before. She said she was able to understand more due to the personal connection of a story from a survivor.
“This has impacted me by making me think more about what really went on during the Holocaust and learning more about people’s experiences,” Sangster said. “Hearing stories like the ones (Judi Shink) told us about helps me learn a lot more from a more personal perspective.”
According to Shink, she is inspired by the comments and feedback that she gets from students, which makes what she does worth it. She said she continues to give speeches because she likes knowing that she can reach more people with her messages and help them understand and absorb more information.
“What inspires me is when I get emails from students who said things like ‘I walked in, I didn’t want to be there,’ but then they say, ‘I didn’t realize I would like your Grandpa Jack,’ and I keep thinking if we get that reaction from one person, one student, so many more people can learn,” Shink said. “I can’t go to every school in the entire world, but we need to humanize again and talk about hate. Most people are actually really good people and really do care and want to know stories. The feedback I get inspires me to keep doing it, because if I can touch one person in this auditorium each time I speak, it’s completely worth it.”
According to Dear, many students have already reached out and given positive comments, showing that listening to speakers like Judi Shink is worth it for students. She said Shink’s story about her grandpa reached a lot of students.
“I have already received a lot of really excellent feedback,” Dear said. “I think students were really able to connect with and feel the power of Grandpa Jack’s story, and I think that humans are drawn to stories, so having Judi tell us about her Grandpa Jack through a series of stories helped clarify and intensify his story to make it feel more personal.”
