Students' work for "International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 2024"

International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 2024

Craft paper border

Francisca Henriques and Inês Martins (10CT2)

This is a brooch in the shape of a puppy that was the last gift that ten-year-old Anna Nussbaum ever received from her father when she left Vienna on a Kindertransport. "One day they packed me a small suitcase with a cardboard name-tag; only one change of clothing was permitted". "Father took me to the train. Mother couldn't face another parting. She couldn't stop crying over the fact that I, her second daughter, was leaving. When we reached the train, the Gestapo soldiers checked the suitcases to make sure that we hadn't taken anything that we weren't supposed to. At the station I started to cry and refused to board the train. Father went to one of the stalls there and bought me the brooch… that’s how he convinced me to get on the train." Anna's parents were deported from Austria and murdered. After the war Anna Nussbaum immigrated to Eretz Israel (Mandatory Palestine). She joined Kibbutz Ein Hashofet and married Benjamin Gross. On the first page of the autograph book that Anna took with her to Ireland, her father wrote the following dedication: "Flowers wither, but a father's love always blooms”. Vienna 9.1.1939

From: https://www.yadvashem.org/

Pedro Carvalho and Pedro Costa (10CT1)

Parchment

The Boy and the Toy Boat

This is a story about a boy named Jean Pojzman, from Boulogne-Billancourt, France. He lived with his sister, named Rachel, and his widowed mother, named Esther. The boy loved his home and playing with his toy boat, a present from his father. Before his dad died, he said to Jean: “I’m going to leave you, so I need you to protect your mother and sister”. After his father passed away, Jean did his best to protect both of them, whenever they had problems. One day, Jean, who was 10 years old, was playing with his sister, when he saw Nazi soldiers go to his home and ask his mother some questions about her family and origins. They threatened to send her to a concentration camp, when they discovered she was Jewish. Jean tried to help his mother, but had no chance to fight the Nazi soldiers, so the whole family was sent to the concentration camp of Pithiviers and, later on, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Jean hid his toy boat and took it with him, as it was the only thing he had to remember his father. Jean, Rachel and Esther managed to survive a year in the death camps, but eventually they were all murdered by the Nazis. Jean was unable to fulfill the promise he made to his father. After the war, the toy boat was sent by one of Esther’s surviving bunk companions to family members in France, so that they could have something of the Pojzman family who, unfortunately, did not survive the Holocaust.

(Fictional story based on a true event)

David Linhares and Lucas Castello (10CT1)

Clara Ribeiro, Mafalda Silva and Mateus Lemos (10CT3)

Thank you!

Produced by: Cristina Tomé

Dear diary, Today was a frightening day. The air was heavy with fear, and everywhere I went, I could feel the watchful eyes of those who enforced the rules. We had to be careful about what we said and where we went. It’s hard to see others being disrespected just because they are different. We had a history lesson at school, but it felt more like propaganda than education. The teacher spoke passionately about loyalty to the regime, and I couldn’t help but feel a knot in my stomach. It’s like we are not allowed to think for ourselves. My friend, Matilde, and I whispered in hushed tones during lunch about our concerns. We are scared, diary - scared of being labelled as enemies of the state just because we question things. Our parents warn us to be cautious, to blend in, but it’s hard to stay silent when you see injustice all around. The news on the radio spoke of things that made Matilde and my heart ache: families being torn apart, people disappearing and neighbours turning on each other. It’s a cruel world we’re living in and it’s difficult to find hope. I hold on to small acts of kindness we still witness. I don’t know what the future holds, diary, but I hope for a day when people can live without fear, where differences are celebrated instead of punished. Until then, I’ll continue to write in these pages, finding solace in the words that help me make sense of this confusing world.

Francisca Marques and Matilde Meireles (10CT1)

Daniel Pereira, Francisco Cadarso, João Luz, Leonel Antunes and Matias Teixeira (10CT2)

Friday, 13th August 1943 Dear Heidi, Today was a very sad day. People here are always sad and scared. I can't understand why we are hidden here. Mom says it's a safe place and she smiles at me, even though she's tired. I miss school, my friends, and sunny days. Sometimes, we draw in the sand to forget where we are. Dad tries to tell stories to make us smile, but it's hard. At night, I hear strange noises, and everyone gets quiet. I want to go back home, but it feels like we'll never leave here. I made a friend today. It was a cute black cat, and it seemed sad too. I also found tiny flowers and made a bouquet to brighten up our little space. It's hard to be happy here, but we try. I hope one day we can leave and forget all of this. Mom says we need to be strong, so I try to be strong like a superhero. But sometimes, I'm afraid. I don’t want my smile to disappear forever. I want to go back home.

Diana Machado and Sofia Costa (10CT3)

Ana Magalhães, Catarina Fontão, Lara Alves and Lara Garcia (10CT3)

Light wood

The Holocaust through stories, diary entries and letters

Margarida Sampaio and Matilde Ferreira (10CT1)

Leonor Mendes, Maria Inês Gomes, Sara Mendes and Tomás Silva (10CT3)

Mafalda Farófio (10CT1)

Carlos Martim Silva and Rafael Ribeiro (10CT2)

The Tower

My grandfather taught me how to play chess. He was gone before me. He gave me the tower before he went to the ghetto. He told me that it was the strongest piece. Although it could only go forward and didn’t have lots of ways to catch other pieces, it could be any of the pieces, just by reaching the end of the squares. He used to call me his "little pawn". I kept one of the pawns of our chess set as a souvenir and the advice he gave when we played together kept me going. When I was left alone in the camp, I made a friend. We found a chess set. It always reminded me of my grandfather. The guards told us that today we were going to take a bath…

Enzo Brilhante (10CT1)

Dear diary, Today, we’re celebrating the last day of Hanukkah. However, this year is different from the previous years because two other families have joined us in the secret annex. It’s a way of forgetting what’s happening on the outside world. Although it is not as bad as the other days, I really miss my old life. Laughing with my friends; feeling the breeze and the smell of the beach; going to school or playing in the snow. It’s very frustrating that I’m losing my teenage years due to this war. The only way I can be in contact with daylight is through a window and the only time we’re allowed to live is at night. Despite all of this, I’m grateful that I have a place to stay; a place that’s not the street and I still manage to stay with my family. That’s it for today. Bye!

Ana Pereira, Ana Santos and Mafalda Gomes (10CT1)

Wednesday, 10th June 1942 Dear diary, Today, I woke up just like all the other days, but it didn’t feel like it. I had a dream about being hidden in a random house in the suburbs of Frankfurt because of the Nazis. It was horrible! My parents were so scared, but wanted to look brave, just for us. Sadly, I opened my eyes and realized it was not a dream. For the past couple of years, we’ve had some peculiar rules to follow like: -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I can’t go to the school I have been going to since I was little; -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;People on the streets call us names and we just have to accept it; -&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We even have our own cafés, restaurants and hairdressers that we have to go to. It is weird having to live like this because while I was growing up we didn’t have all these rules and didn’t have to live with fear just because we had a different religion from the one they now want us to have. I miss the happiness and freedom that I had before and of dreaming about a future, without having second thoughts about how I would get to live my life. I’m writing this while the Nazi soldiers are making us leave the house. I’ve heard about this. They make us get on a train, saying we are going to a camp to work, but some people say they are lying and are really taking us to the worst place ever. I don’t want to go, but we don’t have a choice. I don’t know what will happen next but…

Francisca Mendes and Maria Vitória Mendes (10CT1)

Dear diary, Today is another day living in this nightmare that I wish to wake up from. Every day is an effort to wake up and to be motivated to do anything, with just the objective to survive while being hidden in an attic with my mother, father and brother. Today, I woke up at 6 in the morning to go to the bathroom and shower because we can’t make any noise. We need to be careful even walking! For breakfast, I had a slice of bread, with nothing on it, because there is no possibility of getting jam or butter, and my family needs to manage and save food not to go outside, so as to avoid being caught by the soldiers. Anyway, I have stayed in my corner, reading and playing cards with my brother and I lost this time, but I will come back stronger! Ha…ha. That’s funny, because I wish to be stronger, just to be free and to live a normal life like the other kids that go to school, play with each other and don’t need to hide from some bad people, led by an evil man. We played until dinner and we ate a can of chickpeas with tuna. Then we went to sleep to wake up super early because of those bad people. When will this end? Why can’t I be a normal person like everyone else? So, dear diary, I hope you liked today’s “adventure". I will write to you tomorrow!

Carlos Mendes, Gonçalo Ferreira and Pedro Salgado (10CT3)

Filipa Rocha, Leonor Antunes, Mafalda Freitas and Maria João Fernandes (10CT2)

Ana Carolina Cunha (10CT1)

Rita Guimarães, Rafaela Alves and Sandra Ribeiro (10CT3)

February 22nd, 1942 Dear diary, Today is the best day of my life. Finally, Mom, Anne and I managed to cross the border and we are safe from the Nazis who want to kill us. Unfortunately, Papa and Otto had to stay behind, but at the end of the war, when they stop hating us, we will find them and we will all live happily in our house. When we left the forest, we had to remain very silent because we were very close to the border and we had to be very careful not to be caught by any Nazi. Before we got close to the border we had to remain silent for 15 minutes, waiting for the leader of the group we were coming from to be sure we could cross. When 15 minutes finally passed and we were sure there was no one there, I was really happy. We have crossed the border into Switzerland. I am finally free.

Margarida Gonçalves (10CT1)

Since 2020, students from ESFH have produced texts and drawings about the Holocaust and their work has been posted on the school library blog and the school page for our community to appreciate their empathy and critical thinking. This year, our focus is on the children. All the drawings, fictional stories, diary entries and letters in this e-book give us some insight into the lives of Jewish children before or during the Holocaust. Holocaust education is important, even 79 years after the liberation Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 1997, the former Swedish Prime Minister, Göran Persson, initiated an information campaign about the Holocaust, entitled “Living History”. The aim was to provide facts and information and to encourage a discussion about compassion, democracy and the equal worth of all people. Schools should work on issues related to tolerance, democracy and human rights. The Holocaust and other crimes against humanity are a starting point. As Göran Persson wrote in the epilogue of the book Tell Ye Your Children: "They show what human beings are capable of doing to other human beings when democratic values have been destroyed and replaced by an ideology advocating intolerance, hate and violence". By studying the Holocaust we learn how the unimaginable became reality. It is our mission, as educators, to make students aware that "the past and the present are continuously present in everything we do". We must learn from past mistakes. Only then can we truly make this world a better place for all!

https://www.hmd.org.uk/what-is-holocaust-memorial-day/

International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 2024

Children during the Holocaust

Students' stories, diary entries, letters and drawings

“Children are not the people of tomorrow, but are people of today. They have the right to be taken seriously, and to be treated with tenderness and respect. They should be allowed to grow into whoever they were meant to be. 'The unknown person' inside of them is our hope for the future."

Janusz Korczak

holocaust clipart #4040134

Quote from: https://www.yadvashem.org/

27th January 1945 Dear sister, Finally this nightmare is over! Today we woke up to the sound of laughter and happy voices, an unusual thing to hear in concentration camps. I was getting ready to work, like any other day, when I realized that there were no Nazi soldiers. As I was walking through the camp, I saw a bunch of soldiers with different uniforms. The news spread quickly, so it was not much later that I found out that the allied troops were there to rescue us. Suddenly, my mood changed. I was glad that all of these years of suffering had paid off and this torture was ending. The troops gathered all the children and took us to a train. Right now we are headed to England, where I hope to meet you soon. I miss you so much and I hope you are well!

Joana Garcia, Mariana Bastardo, Rodrigo Gonçalves and Rui Marques (10CT1)

Deomena Xavier, Lara Santos and Ingridy Mendonça (10CT2)

Childhood memories through drawings

Dear diary, The world is a dark place right now. The Nazis are in power and they are making life very difficult for many people. My family and I are Jewish, and we are always afraid of being targeted. We have to be careful about what we say and do, and we can never be too sure who is listening. I miss the way things used to be. I miss being able to go to school and play with my friends without worrying about being harassed or attacked. I miss being able to express my opinions freely without fear of reprisal. But most of all, I miss feeling safe. I miss knowing that I can walk down the street without being afraid of being arrested or worse. I don’t know how much longer we can go on like this. I’m not sure if we will ever be able to return to our normal lives. I hope so, though. I hope that one day the Nazis will be defeated and we can all live in peace. Until then, I will keep writing in my diary. It’s the only way I can keep my sanity in this crazy world.

Ema Serafim and Rafaela Silva (10CT1)

Gabriela Melo and Maria Isabel Fernandes (10CT1)

Afonso Silva, Leonor Gonçalves, Sara Silva and Vasco Martins (10CT2)

Ana Beatriz Ramos, Diogo Pereira, José Pedro Ribeiro and Lara Pacheco (10CT2)

Maria Inês Faria, Mafalda Pinto and Santiago Lemos (10CT3)

Alexandra Castro, Nalina Ghising and Rita Pereira (10CT3)

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.