McClelland College Humanities Program

9/10 Thinking Socially visit to Melbourne Holocaust Museum

“For the social studies unit for year 9’s and 10's went to see the Holocaust Museum and speak to a Holocaust survivor Guta Goldstein. It was really good since while we were there we got a better understanding of what actually happened and we learned in a deeper detail the types of laws that got brought into play leading up to the World War and the Holocaust. We also got to see some of the items from the ghettos and some other propaganda. We got to see some stars of David that had to be sown into clothes and uniforms of the Jewish population, we got to see a poster that was in the ghetto, and we also got to see this children picture story book called ‘the poisonous Mushroom’ which had a heavy focus of Anti-Semitic propaganda. While we only spoke to Guta we still got to hear little bits of other survivors but what they all had in common was how they claimed they were ‘lucky’. It was impactful when we met Guta and learned about her story, and it was hard to watch how to this day the events of the Holocaust still impact her and other survivors. I believe it is an essential excursion to go to with the unit especially since the survivors won't be around forever so it's important to hear first-hand what it was like for them and get answers to your questions.”

Alex Canepa