To Whom It May Concern:
My students participated in an extensive study of the Holocaust that included reading Simone Liebster’s story about her personal experiences during World War II. Simone’s book provided students with the perspective about what happened to Jehovah Witnesses during the war. I loved being able to teach the Holocaust from various perspectives and experiences. In the ten years that I have been an educator, I have never encountered such an amazing learning experience as the one provided from Facing the Lion. It was truly an incredible opportunity to not only get to read Simone’s story, but then get to speak with her live from France!! I cannot stress how this is an experience that all teachers need to integrate into their study of the Holocaust.
Anna-Marie Davis
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Orangewood K-8 Elementary School
7337 N. 19th Avenue
Phoenix AZ 85021
As a middle school teacher, I think it is vitally important that we teach our students about standing up for their beliefs and heeding the call to help others. I teach in an ethnically divided school that serves children from all over the world. Many of these students are different races, speak different languages, and believe different truths. However, the Holocaust is a bridge that connects all of these differences. We can all, no matter our background, empathize with injustice … and that is what the Holocaust webcam interview led by Diana Zientek did for my students. This interview is a common experience that my students all share and can all connect with and we can use this as a starting point for discussions on injustice and intolerance in our school and community and what we can do to change it. It was incredible to see the enthusiasm my students exuded about actually meeting Simone and Max and even more remarkable was the effect Max and Simone’s words had on my students. My students left school that day more tolerant of their fellow classmates and more open to other’s ideas, but most importantly, they left with a feeling of pride and courage, that they too, could stand firm in the face of their ‘lions’ and come out better for it.
I prepared my students for the interview with the help of Diana Zientek, a Holocaust consultant specializing in the Nazi persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Diana met with me many times before the day of the interview. She presented a multimedia lecture that included excerpts from Simone’s book, Facing the Lion, interviews with Simone, historical background on the Holocaust, and even a replica of a Jehovah Witness’s camp uniform! Before the interview my students wrote questions that were emailed to Simone and Max. The entire process was well organized and straightforward. Because of all the preparation, I felt my students had a good knowledge base when the day of the interview arrived. I highly recommend this experience to any educator that wants to impact their students, school, and community!
Kendra Cameron-Jarvis
8th grade English Teacher
A.C. Reynolds Middle School
Asheville, North Carolina
I am writing this letter in regards to the video conference that my Holocaust Studies students recently participated in. Over the years I have had numerous survivors visit my classroom, but this was something new, something different-so you can imagine how excited I was!
When I told my students about a video conference with Max and Simone Liebster, I immediately had their attention. When they discovered that Max and Simone lived in France and that we would be broadcasting from our school in real time they were instantly hooked.
It's wonderful having a pool of local Holocaust survivors who can come to my classroom and speak to my students, but what about those who can't? How does one who has so much to contribute yet lives so far away share their valuable lessons? The answer: video conferencing!
The benefits of video conferencing are obvious: it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my students and me. Video conferencing is a tool that enables teachers to bring the outside world into their classroom. My students and I are still thrilled about our video conference with Max and Simone and I look forward to the future use of video conferencing within my curriculum.
Just imagine-anyone, anywhere, anytime! It's a whole new area of education that should and needs to be utilized.
Sincerely,
Mr. Eric Silenzi
Dept. Chair
Social Studies Palmetto
High School
1200 17th Street West
Palmetto, FL 34221
I would like to express my appreciation for the presentation of Greg and Sandra Milakovich regarding the struggles of Jehovah's Witnesses during World War II. The information they shared was strictly educational and very beneficial to our U.S. History students. The Milakovich's rich knowledge, plentiful resources, unique perspective and various accounts from survivors made their presentation engaging for all. Inviting Greg and Sandra into our classroom was rewarding for the students and convinced me that this is an opportunity I will provide for future classes. It is my recommendation that you include this presentation in your curriculum. Their message of standing firm in the face of tremendous opposition is one that all students will benefit from.
Sincerely,
Kent Noska
Prairie High School
College Community Schools
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
knoska@prairiepride.org
On behalf of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, we commend your organization for its unwavering mission to educate students and teachers throughout the Midwest on the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses during the Holocaust. We have found the resources that your organization has provided to us and our constituents most valuable, in particular the exemplary study guide and documentary video, "Stand Firm."
The power of "Stand Firm" lies in its ability to allow educators to present the story of the Holocaust in a way that causes the student to relate the experience of the Jehovah's Witnesses to his or her own life today - the values we hold dear, the moral choices we each confront, and the recognizing that each of us has the power to stand up and speak out for what is right.
By finding the courage, by standing firm for what they knew to be right, these ordinary people overcame extraordinary odds. The collective values that our educators are able to impart through these lessons affirm our human dignity, promote the good of the individual and the common good, and protect our human rights.
In history classes, students should not only learn what happened, they should be given an opportunity to make ethical judgments about it. After all, history is not merely a timeline of events; rather it is about people making choices that affected other people. Those choices had ethical and moral dimensions and often produced profound consequences. At times, we know what we should do, feel strongly that we should do it, yet still fail to translate moral judgment and feeling into effective moral behavior. You might ask: Who were the people making those choices and what do you think about their actions? Did they do right, or did they do wrong? What could people have done to resist the Nazis? What if more people had chosen not to cooperate with Nazism? By bringing to the forefront the character dimension of this aspect of Holocaust history, you enhance the relevance of the subject matter to the student's natural interests and questions, and in the process, increase student engagement.
We deeply appreciate your commitment to this important aspect of Holocaust history. Today's events tell us that the lessons of the Holocaust remain all too relevant for our time. We often wonder about the human capacity to resist evil. By using resources such as "Stand Firm", we are able to present to our educators a way to bring a more positive example into their classrooms of one group of people who followed their conscience in the face of tyranny.
We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Kelley H. Szany
Education Coordinator and Public Historian
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
1603 Orrignton Avenue, Suite 1625
Evanston, IL 60201
In twenty years as an educator in public schools, never have I had a learning experience as extraordinary as the webcast with Simone Arnold Liebster, Holocaust survivor. The pages of history came alive as ninth grade inner city students and their teachers took a virtual field trip to France to have a conversation in real time with a seventy-five year old Holocaust survivor. We have all read much about history, but rarely can we ask a character from the past personal questions that are burning on our minds.
The students, my fellow educators, and I were respectfully awestruck by the clarity, the detail, and the absence of bitterness with which Mrs. Liebster spoke. Rather than dwell on the atrocities of the Holocaust, she explained how she felt as everything she knew was taken away from her, even her name.
The strength of character needed to stand up for her beliefs during the years without her parents resounded as she answered the student's questions.
World War II had many facets. Simone's story is one that young people can easily relate to because she expressed the insecurities so common to adolescents. Simone took us back in time with her as she shared the untold experience of a twelve-year old girl taken from her mother and put in a German reeducation home during the Holocaust. Students were struck by the unfairness Mrs. Liebster received, however we did not pity her that day, we admired her. She made us wonder, "Could I have endured such maltreatment with the same kind of dignity that Simone Liebster displayed?"
As a Curriculum Specialist, I highly recommend the book, "Facing the Lion: Memoirs of a Young Girl in Nazi Germany", the lesson plans on the SHOAH Foundation's website, and the ultimate culminating experience - the live webcast with Mrs. Liebster arranged by the Arnold-Liebster Foundation. Using these materials, a ninth grade teacher, Mrs. Judith Bailey, was able to extend her unit on the Holocaust. Her students did crossword puzzles, wrote poems, and developed interview questions during their novel study.
I sincerely thank the Arnold-Liebster Foundation for their guidance, collaboration, and most importantly, the access to the primary source, Simone Arnold-Liebster, eyewitness to the Holocaust.
Sincerely,
Leonita Nelson
Curriculum Specialist
Title I Office
Montgomery Public School
3108 Fairwest Place
Montgomery, Alabama 36108
We would like to thank you for your informative presentation on March 15,
2006 at the Martin-Springer Institute, located at Northern Arizona University. Your presentation to local teachers and students supported our mission of using the lessons of the Holocaust to promote moral courage, altruism, and tolerance. We were most impressed with your ability to discuss the topic and history of the Jehovah's Witnesses without the presentation becoming an opportunity for proselytization. We believe that the Jehovah's Witness community present an interesting case study for the examination of action and courage in the light of unspeakable horrors. The program successfully showed the strength of citizens who refused to conform to Nazi pressure, a theme that meshed perfectly with our institute's mission.
We appreciate the commitment and professional work that the organization's volunteers continue to exhibit.
Melissa Cohen
Program Coordinator
Martin-Springer Institute
Northem Arizona University
P.O. Box 5624
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5624
(928) 523-2464
© Arnold-Liebster Foundation 2008