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Being a teacher coursed through my veins by the age of 5. It was the only occupation that set my heart to pattering. I loved children and could think of no greater way to spend my time than loving them all day while imparting truth and knowledge. I devoted 24 years to guiding young minds and raging hormones.
I distinctly remember the year 1995 when teaching a mini unit on the Holocaust was added to my curriculum. Since the English teachers taught The Diary of Anne Frank, they asked if the history department would supply the background information so the students would understand the reason the Franks were in hiding.
“I don’t know much about the Holocaust,” echoed through my mind. The topic was barely mentioned in my high school history classes, and my only other encounter came through the movie Sophie’s Choice, a cinema feature I will always remember.
My only remedy for my lack of knowledge involved locating research books to assist with my lessons. I contacted the Holocaust Museum in DC, thus began a journey that would change my life. I applied and attended an educator’s conference at the museum, which led to being accepted as a Fellow with the museum, which led to participation in three-week study trip to Poland and Israel with Holocaust Survivors. You cannot stand in a gas chamber and not have your life affected. I was enthralled with these survivors who had such a gentle spirit, a joy for life, and a desire to make a difference.
That trip resulted in my creation of the Holocaust Resource Center of Oklahoma, a place for students and teachers to study about the Holocaust and other genocides for projects and lessons. Each year the center would host a survivor who would travel to Oklahoma to speak in local schools.
That is how I met Marion Blumenthal Lazan, one of my favorite people in the world. As a child in Germany when Hitler came to power, her family escaped to Holland. When Germany invaded Holland, she and her family spent the next six years in camps. Three years after liberation, Marion and her family boarded a ship for the United States. Her book Four Perfect Pebbles shares the story of her time in the camps. For over 20 years, Marion has traveled and spoken to over a million children. She journeyed to Oklahoma twice to partner with me. I have never met a more giving woman who exudes joy and peace. I adore her.
Now, 65 years after her incarceration in the Nazi Concentration Camp Bergen-Belsen, in recognition of the positive impact in teaching respect and tolerance to young adults, the new high school in her former hometown of Hoya in Germany has been named in her honor - The Marion Blumenthal Hauptschule. I am thrilled and delighted for my friend, and proud of this small town in Germany that makes the statement, “Never again. “
Congratulations, Marion, and thank you for your impact on my life.
