Source: Sussex Academy
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer visited Sussex Academy on April 22 to speak with eighth graders about his family and his work in advance of their field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in May.
Gonzer is co-chair and advisor of the Halina Wind Preston Holocaust Education Committee, an affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Delaware, and was instrumental in securing grant funding for buses that will enable all students to travel to Washington, D.C.
As a boy, Gozner first learned the fate of many of his own family members during the Holocaust, when 75 members of his extended family were killed.
“I had no idea that occurred,” he said. “She never talked about it; nobody in my family ever said a word.”
The revelation spurred him first to educate himself and then raise awareness about the consequences of hatred, discrimination and indifference
“I couldn’t understand how someone could have such hatred,” he said.
Gonzer studied the holocaust and began a project to record the stories of Delaware Holocaust survivors and eyewitnesses, and eventually produced an eight-hour documentary, “No Denying: Delawareans Bear Witness to the Holocaust, Liberators,” detailing their accounts, excerpts of which he showed students. Gonzer fielded questions from students before and after the presentation of the documentary.
Eighth grade Reading Teacher Alyssa R. Graham said Gonzer’s visit directly supports the work her students are completing in English Language Arts.
“As part of their current unit, students are researching Holocaust topics and writing research papers using credible sources,” Graham said. “Gonzer’s presentation and documentary provided students with meaningful background knowledge and firsthand accounts that deepen their understanding of the topics they are exploring.
Gonzer’s visit also prepares students for the reading of the memoir “Night” by Elie Wiesel, which recounts the author’s experiences as a Jewish teenager surviving the Holocaust, including his time in Nazi concentration camps, Graham said.
Sussex Academy is a tuition-free, public charter K-12 school in Georgetown, Del. Its mission is to create a supportive school environment with accelerated learning opportunities that prepare students to explore, experience, and excel.
