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Bringing Alive an Unknown Past Leads to National Award
Lera, a 15 year old from Bobruisk, did not anticipate that her research report on the Holocaust would win her a flight to Moscow and a speaking engagement at a prestigious conference. But as the winner of a national competition among children and youth for the best report on the Holocaust, this high school student from Belarus will be presenting her paper on "Righteous Gentiles and the Neo-Nazi Movement in Belarus" at Sefer's tenth annual conference.
Just as noteworthy as this honor is the fact that two years ago the Holocaust was largely unknown to Lera and her classmates. She is not Jewish, and with no ties to the city's Jewish community, Lera's interest was sparked after a series of lectures in her junior high school history class. "The teaching of Holocaust studies in non-Jewish schools is an outcome of much hard work," explained Alla, the Director of Holocaust Studies Program in Belarus. "And is immensely important both for the Jewish and non-Jewish communities," she added. Indeed, exposing non-Jews to Jewish history and culture is an important part of rebuilding the legitimacy of Jewish culture in the eyes of Jews themselves, as well as fostering greater understanding among non-Jews. To help carry out this important task, Alla works with Belarussian schools, principals and teachers to guide them in the instruction of this sensitive topic. And in some cases, as with Lera, it sparked an interest that previously had been undiscovered. "Lera worked closely with her history teacher. She then turned to me to obtain additional research materials," explained Alla. Impressed with her work, Alla sent Lera's paper to Sefer, who bestowed upon it this honor and the invitation. At the end of January, Alla will accompany the young student during her first trip ever to Moscow. And while this paper is only first effort, it may be the start of an academic career in the history of a people and a past previously unknown to her. |
