Out & About

Year 9 Holocaust Museum excursion

Over two days in term 1 March, the Year 9 cohort had the opportunity to partake and converse in activities at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. We not only had the privilege of meeting a survivor, but also examining artefacts. We began with a short introduction to the themes they would expose us to throughout the day, including the principle that every victim was unique, the impact of the Holocaust, and the values the survivors wish for us to take away from this learning experience. We then had a short session, where we split into groups and were given separate artefacts to investigate. This activity allowed us to infer possible information using a source, and after that we had to define these artefacts into different concepts of war, such as ‘acts of courage’ or ‘discrimination’. For example, our group was given an identification pamphlet, which was used by a Jew to hide their real identity. This particular activity helped us define what the effects of the war could look like for different people. 

After this, we had an impactful discussion, with survivor, Gilah Leder, where she entailed her experience while in hiding. We had the chance to ask her any inquiries that we had come up with previously, these questions were answered very eloquently. When the question, ‘how would you like the future generations to honour the Holocaust’, Gilah graced us with the resilient and insightful moral of education. She wished us to continue learning, reading and discussing the Holocaust, out of our own interest. Cerin and I in particular, admired the perseverance of Gilah herself, and felt inspired by the fact that she didn’t let that experience define her. 

Thanks to the Humanities teachers for organising this wonderful opportunity for us. We took away from this experience, and will take away the message that Gilah gave us with pride.  

Trudie Miller & Cerin Luke