Education and Hope

Today was a day filled with hope for the future. Today, we visited the school in the neighboring town of Dusetos. The town is about double the size of the current one and has a larger Jewish cemetery, which makes sense. With a larger population comes a greater number of Jewish people. What was extremely striking, however, was the lack of knowledge of the students on the topic of the Holocaust in their town. Sure, they had heard from the female survivor of the town, but there was not as much coverage on the massacre, or Judaism, in general. When we were meeting with them, Rabbi Abbie talked with them and explained what happened in their town and what the basics of Judaism were. This is the most important part of the trip because we are educating a younger generation first on tolerance, then on celebration of those who are different. Most of the younger residents have never encountered a Jewish person before. Without understanding that they are the same as everyone else, the children might grow up to believe that they were different or bad. By educating the unknowing, we can prevent discrimination and violence on the world. Peace is for everyone, and education ensures this.
-Sophia Dallas