Humanities

Year 10 Humanities Excursion: The Shrine and The Holocaust

Last Thursday, a portion of the Year 10 Humanities students attended the excursion to the Jewish Holocaust Centre, first founded in 1984 by Holocaust survivors to commemorate the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. There, we studied artefacts from the epoch of the Shoah. Some included a metal bracelet from the camps, a letter of reconciliation from the Australian Commonwealth, an extract of propaganda from a German newspaper, a passport, and a personalised, embroidered pouch. These were stuck underneath different categories on a wall: some went under the factor of 'discrimination', others 'return to life', and more. As well as this, the students were given a prestigious opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor, Paul Grinwald, over an online meeting. He shared his story - a story of sheer inspiration, struggle, and courage. One of the things that really spoke out to me was something Paul said - "Hatred not only destroys the victim, but the perpetrator, too." Six chosen students lit a candle to represent the six million Jewish victims. Finally, we were all given a piece of paper, with "I will remember..." written on it, and we were to write something we would remember about this experience. Attending the Jewish Holocaust Centre evoked a sense of reminiscence in all of us – and was an experience so magical and wonderful. 

Jashan Suran

Year 10

Caulfield was where the Jewish Holocaust Centre's temporary location was, since their centre in Elsternwick was undergoing various construction work. We Humanities students and teachers assembled outside the temporary centre (with masks on) in the morning, and were promptly escorted into their auditorium, which for now consisted of rows of chairs and a projector. From there we undertook a wide range of activities in 2 hours, including examining copies of artefacts from the Holocaust, watching various videos that educated us further on the horrors of Nazi Germany's human rights violations, and we even enjoyed the privilege of socialising with an actual Holocaust survivor, albeit over Zoom instead of face-to-face. At the conclusion of our 2 hours at the centre, we lit up 6 candles (each representing a million out of the 6 million Jewish people that perished) in memory of their lives. 

It was an enriching and informative opportunity to be able to ask questions to a survivor regarding their experiences during World War II, which allowed us to further expand our knowledge on the horrors and ruthlessness of the Nazi regime not only in Germany, but across Europe. By understanding the survivors' experiences and remembering the past, we can forbid the dark side of history from repeating itself. 

Billy Wu

Year 10

A number of students were also fortunate enough to visit The Shrine of Remembrance in the beautiful Botanic Gardens complex. Students were led on a tour of some key war memorial artefacts by ex-servicemen, which made the experience of appreciating the significance of service and duty all the more special. A number of commemorative artworks were also on display to make commentary about remembrance of war and those who served. Our tour guide Garry led students into the crypt, the innermost and most sacred space of the Shrine, then out of the top of the Shrine and down the stairs to view the Eternal Flame and talk about its significance.  

The excursion to the Shrine was extremely interesting and helped students to solidify their students into WWII and wartime experiences.  

Emma Winton

Humanities Teacher