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CHATHAM

Catholic teens showcase survivors of the Holocaust

When asked by 15-year-old Hannah Cashen about her reaction to surviving the Holocaust, Lily Harvitt wondered, "Why me? Why was I saved?" 

On Aug. 16, Hannah and the rest of the faith formation students at St. James parish in Chatham will make a presentation called "Never Again," showcasing interviews with local survivors such as Ms. Harvitt.

"Never Again" will include the showing of a DVD the group created which explores the chapter in world history, as well as a question-and-answer session with some of the survivors who were interviewed for the project. 

"We are so fortunate to have people who can still tell us about" the Holocaust, said Christine Cain, director of faith formation at St. James. "This is a great opportunity to hear their fascinating stories."

The Holocaust involved the extermination of European Jews and others during Nazi rule in Germany from 1933-'45. During this time, Nazi authorities organized the capture, incarceration and killing of Jews from throughout Europe. Many were held and died in concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Dachau. 

About 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

History at home 
The original idea at St. James was for the youths to research local immigrants. But the focus quickly changed to the Holocaust after Ms. Cain got in touch with leaders of the Chatham Synagogue who introduced the students to a number of Jewish men and women who were in Europe at the time of Hitler's reign.

For the religious education group, it was an experience to remember.

"I knew about the Holocaust before from learning about it in school," said 14-year-old Madeline Silva; "but this was a lot more interesting because it was so personal."

Madeline and Hannah, along with Charlotte Hoppe, Haley Knight and Emily and Erin Lanphear, listened to stories of Jews from all throughout Europe who had their families taken away from them and had to hide behind cupboards and beds to avoid capture. 

They also interviewed one woman who was trained in the Hitler Youth, an organization that brainwashed children with Nazi ideologies.

"I thought it was going to be sad to listen to, but it was hard to watch them break down and have to relive it by telling us," said Emily, who is 14.

"I thought it would be more of a learning process, but it was so sad to see how emotional it was," added Hannah.

Polished lessons
Ms. Cain wanted the teens to not only get a history lesson out of it, but to make it interesting.

"I wanted to use technology to motivate them," explained Ms. Cain. "I thought I would write a grant that might be attractive to fund."

The idea sparked the interest of both the students and Wal-Mart, which gave the faith formation program a grant to purchase an iMac computer to help them make their DVD. 

To learn more about how to use the computer, the students went to free classes at the Apple store in Crossgates Mall in Albany.

For the students, the technological aspect made the project even more interesting. 
"I just really enjoyed doing a project where there are so many elements to it," said Madeline.

Emily contrasted today's technological advancements of today with those in the lives of the people they interviewed.

"It's much different from the life we have now," she observed. "We have computers and the internet and DVDs and they barely had electricity."

Opening minds
The girls hope that anyone who comes to the presentation and watches the DVD they created will leave with a new outlook on life.

"I want them to learn how hard it was for these people to go through [the Holocaust], and see how strong they are today," said 14-year-old Charlotte.

Hannah agreed, noting: "The ability of these people to go through these awful situations and still be able to see God and smile and be able to talk about it is amazing."

Most of all, the girls hope the presentation will make everyone more grateful for what they have.

"People take things for granted now," said Hannah. "I hope they can see how entitled we are to only have to listen and hear about this instead of actually going through it. Just appreciate what you have."

(Quinn Massaroni, a high school intern, contributed to this story.)

(The presentation on the Holocaust, "Never Again," will be held Aug. 16 after the 11 a.m. Mass at St. James parish in Chatham. For information, call 392-4991.)

(08/13/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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