I had one of you tell me when we returned to the classroom today "that was our best class this whole semester!" I don't actually remember who said it, and the more I thought about it later, I am not sure if I should be offended or not! :) However, I agree with you that the opportunity to dialogue with Gillad, Dima, and Arik was amazing. I enoyed it as well. What struck you the most from this discussion? There were so many quotable moments from the talk and most of the ones I noted were from Dima. I thought what he said about a Holocaust denier only needing to sit down with a survivor for one hour and it would cure all denial as such a great point.
15 comments:
This was the highlight of my entire high school days so far. I just thought it was so awesome. I especially loved telling them all my passion and love for Israel! :)
What struck me the most that will stay in my mind forever is everything said about Israel. I did find it funny when Gilad asked me if I was Jewish. :) They were all very funny guys and full of information.
I can not WAIT until I go to Israel! That's the one country I want to go to before I die. If I could, I would cancel my France trip this summer and go to Israel but I can't. :(
Who knows? Maybe someday when I go to Israel I may end up seeing the three guys. That would be cool.
-Josh
this was such a great experience for us. not only did it give us an outside view of how other people deal with the memories of the Holocaust, it was insightful as far as what goes on when the news cameras aren't filming. i really enjoyed hearing the guys talk. thanks for giving us the chance!!
The opportupnity to speak with three true Israelis was amazing! I expected them to be very devoutly religious and to portray a culture completely different from our own. While they did talk about how things are different over in Israel, they also greatly emphasized how they are young people just like us. They dress like us, they talk like us (even if they have an accent), and they experience the same emotions as us. It was just really cool to sit down and talk with them in an informal setting. It really drove home that those who were victimized during the Holocaust were not a different breed. They were human beings who had become a part of their respective country's culture just like we are a part of American culture.
Talking with these three Israelis was a great chance to see the culture of Jews in their heart land and it was surprizing to find it a little more similar to our culture than most of us thought. The part that stuck out to me most is that any time anyone asked who and how the Holocaust affected Israelis.. they always said everyone and anyone because everyone is related to someone who was in it. I think that makes the number 6 million so much more real to know that a whole country is linked to the Holocaust.
-Brooke
Brooke, I agree with you. That struck me as well. It illustrated a couple of things, I think. It illustrated the reality of the long-term and far-reaching effects of the Holocaust, even 60 years later, but it also illustrated the community aspect of the Jewish faith. We had talked about that when we read To Life! and I think it was interesting to see that in action. That sort of "what happens to one, happens to all" concept. Good point.
Thursday's class was so good! Don't get me wrong Mrs. Davis because I love your teaching. It was just so cool to sit down with guys that are only a few years older than us and hear about Israel. I have to admit that I was very excited to hear from the guys in the days leading up to it, but I've never really been interested in Israel. I always thought of Israel as a boring place, but after hearing from the guys my perspective completely changed.
One of the main quotes that stuck with me was "the Holocaust is not just about facts and statistics to the people in Israel. It's about a feeling." Hearing that really made me put the whole thing in perspective because almost all the people in Israel have direct ties to the Holocaust. It can be easy to get caught up the facts and figures, but the Holocaust was real. It caused real pain, suffering, terror, and death. I really respect the young guys we met for their stance on remembering the Holocaust.
After hearing Kate hear about how she became interested in Israel my curiosity has definitely been sparked. I took away a lot from the discussion. My apathy towards Israel is no more. :) I hope next year's class has the same opportunity. What a fantastic learning experience!
Talking and lisening to the Israelis was really something else for sure! They would have to be my favorite speakers so far. They were really funny, they had my attention the whole time, and they shared alot of interesting things that really touched me. I especially liked what Gilad said about if a Holocaust denier would sit down with a survivor for one hour only it would cure all denial, and I myself do think that is true.
On a more personal note, I've always wanted to travel the world went I got older. A dream I got from my grandparents since they have traveled almost everywhere. After hearing the Israelis, I will make sure that Israel is on the top of my list of places to go.
-Micah
It was a great opprotunity and I really enjoyed hearing what they had to say. I really enjoyed learning about the required military service. I think mandatory service is a great idea.
wow this was a great idea. who thought up of meeting with them. i had an excellent time. they opened my eyes to a different kind of israel. i always thought that israel was a place of violence and old cities. a place stuck in the past. but now i have a better sense of what israel is really about. what surprised me the most during the discussion was the hassdic jews. from what i got out of the talk was that the hassids kept to themselves and ignored the rest of the society. their 18 year were also not forced to sign up for the military like the rest of the people. i had a great time.
BRIAN J MORAN
This was one of the best ideas I think a teacher has ever had. I loved meeting these three guys and they were totally different from my original persception. I have to agree with Brian, it definatley opened my eyes to a different kind of Israel. I think it is really sad how other people and cultures judge our society by what they hear on the news or what they see from tourists. I think it is even more sad is that we view other people differently for the sames reasons. From talking to these guys, I found out that they resemble people in our culture and that they are not that different at all. The only thing that made them different was their life experiances and where they were from. Something that really struck me, and after it hit me I kept thinking it the whole time that we were sitting there, was that if we were in a different place and time, I could be in Nazi Germany. I could be a Aryain Nazi German and these three men could have been Jews that were being persecuted. After meeting these guys and having a conversation with them, it made me think. Would Germans sit down and actually have a conversation with Jews and would it make them realize that they are just the same as them? Would I persecute these men? Would I stand silently by and let them be beaten and murdered. For me, meeting these men put this whole class in a different perspective and I am really thankful for that.
At first i was so confused about the whole thing with them three coming in. I guess it was because i was not there the day you talked about it, and i didn't know what to expect, but they were great. I think i would have to say that was one of my favorite days in your class. The thing that shocked me was that they were so young and had already been in the military for three years! They fought in things that we have heard of before, it is really cool to meet people like them. They also could relate with us a lot. I really liked that day!
IT WAS THE SNACK BOYS! We were the ones who said it was the best--or that we enjoyed it the most of what we have done thus far, at least. Speaking with these three young men gave us a completely difference perspective on the subject of the Holocaust. The fact that they were so interested in why WE were interested kindof humbled me. I felt really great that I had taken a class in this school year devoted to never letting this event happen again. Their way of life and customs were much like ours, suprisingly, except ours is a little more explicit. I really hope we get to see/meet them again!
-Gage
it was amazing! yeah the comment about a holocaust denier and a survivor is so so true. i only wish we could do that... i really like how they are content with going to the army unlike a lot of people who would rebell and such.. i like how they respect their country and are able to give up so much of their lives for it. i really like also how they just live their lives the best they can and just keep moving even though theres so much going on around them.. and how they can have that balance where they're aware and ready but relaxed and living at the same time? make sense? well yeahh haha
-katie
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