On Monday, April 24, Ben Porat Yosef students learned about Yom HaShoah with age-appropriate programming which included firsthand accounts from Holocaust survivors about their experiences before, during and after the war. The students also heard class presentations about student family members’ experiences during WWII. The seventh and eighth grade students heard from Hanne Hirsch Liebman, a cousin of the grandmother of one of the school’s teachers, which added a strong personal dimension to the presentation. The teacher, Amanda Dryer, introduced Hanne to the students and relayed to them her story of survival. Dr. Norbert Bikales and Ruth May, also survivors, spoke to fifth and sixth grade students.

The students of the middle school also heard, from Rabbi Acoca, rav mechanech, about the Sephardic communities in Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, focusing on Salonika, and their experiences during the war. He further added the important message that in discussing the history and experiences of the Jews, we must always think of Klal Yisrael, and recount the stories of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities. The students then lit candles immediately following these remarks.

This week also marks “Unity Week” at BPY, a time in which students are assisted in integrating the lessons of the Holocaust in order to further their understanding of our contemporary world. During this week, students will participate in a variety of special programs and presentations to emphasize this theme.