Frankie Schwartzwald, Ed.D., detailed the inhumane treatment of Jews during the Holocaust to Staples fifth-graders last Thursday during a field trip at the Dallas Holocaust Museum.
Students learn about hate at museum (Posted 2/2/2010 08:00 am)
There are times where the written word doesn’t do enough to tell a story. This was one of them.


A long Staples Elementary field trip from Joshua to downtown Dallas could have ended at the grassy knoll where President John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963. It could have included any of a number of pieces of early Dallas history. Instead, the field trip delivered a meaningful message with a call to action for about 80 fifth-graders.

The students visited the Dallas Holocaust Museum, last Thursday and through pictoral, video and audio presentations, learned the story of one of the darkest eras in world history, when 6 million Jews died.

“There was a time when people weren’t treated the way they should have been,” said fifth-grader Nathaniel Long. “I hope it never happens again. We need to remember these people and tell others the story. We need to make sure everyone remembers it.”

Mike Jacobs recalled his personal story of survival, including the time he spent in a rail car – one similar to the red rail car on display in the museum.

“Stand up and speak up,” Jacobs said. “If you don’t, it is going to happen again. In five to 10 years there are going to be no Holocaust survivors around.”

About 40,000 students tour the museum each year, along with about 15,000 other visitors.

“I speak every year to about 15,000 to 20,000 students,” Jacobs said. “I’ve got thousands of letters from students about how I changed their lives.”

The Staples fifth-graders toured exhibits and listened to information from the World War II era of Adolf Hitler-controlled Germany. Many of the stories involved children about their age.

“What we try to do is allow anyone who wants to hear the message of the Holocaust to hear the message,” said Stephanie Gandy, director of development for the Dallas Holocaust Museum. “We want them to ask ‘if these people didn’t do enough to stop injustice, then what do I do?’ That’s the thing that can keep the Holocaust from happening again.”

The exhibit focuses on one day in the history of the Holocaust – April 19, 1943. It offers a moral and ethical presentation for which the Staples students were prepared prior to arriving.

“We came to learn about the history of the Holocaust and the history of the Jews,” said fifth-grader Dawson Martin, who noted not all, but some, of the people took action. “They were trying to help the Jews make it to Sweden.”

But, many did not as casualties in Hitler’s death camps continued to grow.

“Even a small action can have a big impact,” Gandy said. “You have to take action.”