A strong bond has been forged between our organization and Campus Kiryat Sharet High School, in Holon. The connection began with the understanding that today’s schoolchildren, who are tomorrow’s citizens, are the mainstay of the population that will carry the memory of the Holocaust into the future. High school students are the native-born Israelis who will be educated in the country, and the school they attend will have been the first entity they encounter that facilitates discussions on the memory of the Holocaust – one of the more complex and difficult subjects they’ll need to grapple with in their educational materials.
The groundwork for this connection was first laid at Henkin School, at the initiative of Michael Drori, the school’s principal, an esteemed educator, and one of our organization’s founders. The questions that consumed him, along with other educators, were the following: What content should be infused into the word “memory”? Is there room to discuss the concept of ‘moral lesson” (a term widely used without much scrutiny)? What kind of consciousness does the school system seek to cultivate? How can we ensure that, in the absence of delicate and precise balances, the educational system does not unintentionally cultivate a “victim mentality” among students – which is a dangerous and destructive state of mind?
The Signing Ceremony of the “Henkin School – Hrubieszow Memorial Scroll”
The scroll is signed by Yehuda Lewinton, a superintendent from the Ministry of Education. Michael Drori, principal of Hankin School in Holon, stands at his right.
Once a year, a memorial ceremony is held to mark the tragic destruction of the Hrubieszow Jewish community. Surviving membors of the community, their children, and other family members, along with students from Campus Kiryat Sharet, gather at the ZOA HOuse in Tel Aviv (or at the Volozhin House in Givatayim) to commemorate the final Aktion that led to the community’s destruction. The ceremony begins with the recitation of the “Yizkor” prayer. High school students play a significant role in the ceremony – both artistically and through their involvement, as some of them receive scholarships for their academic achievements, or volunteer to work with Holocaust survivors, or on behalf of them.
