After a rocky start to the day, X27 made it to the National Holocaust Museum in Newark where they’ve shown exceptional HoWLs during the day’s visit.
We were able to add rocks to the Children’s memorial, dedicated to the 1.5 million young people who were murdered during the Holocaust. A poignant moment, but an incredibly important one!
We also participated in a number of workshops throughout the day; learning about Jewish life before the Holocaust, what ghettos were like for Jewish people, and we even heard testimony from a Holocaust survivor, Janine; who was the only surviving member of her family. X27 have been a credit to XP today, asking some incredibly sensitive questions and giving fantastic answers to Zoe, our Educator; asking and answering questions about “What it means to be Jewish”, “Why is it important for survivors to pass on their stories?” and “Did you experience Antisemitism before the Holocaust?” – X27 also wanted to know more about resistance in the Ghettos and “What was your lowest point in the Holocaust” – where we learned about Janine’s account of losing her family.
Overall, it’s been a humbling day; but also a day where X27 showed tonnes of respect and compassion. They showed great maturity today and were super thoughtful.
Zoe left us with an incredible statement. She said to us: “If you were to stand and hold a minutes’ silence to show your respect for each person who lost their lives in the Holocaust, you’d be stood silently in the exact same spot for over 11 years.”