Although JC is far from infallible, their approach towards Holocaust education is phenomenal. JC has been successful for several years in educating students about the Holocaust, offering unique opportunities such as visiting the Holocaust museum and Arlington Cemetery along with speakers to make sure students understand the experience of the Holocaust as best as possible.

Along with reading “Night” by Elie Wiesel and taking a trip to the Holocaust Museum, the Holocaust speakers bring together the learning experience for the seniors. Many people look forward to hearing from the Holocaust survivors because they offer a personal connection which leads to a deeper understanding to the tragedy for students.

Although this experience is invaluable, it may not always be possible for the students. One day, Holocaust speakers will not be around to talk to them. This loss will be detrimental to the experience of learning about the Holocaust, and yet nothing can be done.

JC has gone further than most schools in their attempt to educate students about this issue. With school trips and months dedicated to the teaching of this horrific event, JC students are very educated about the Holocaust.

Even when this experience is no longer available for JC students, they will still have plenty of opportunities to learn about the Holocaust.  JC has done a great job of educating students about this event and that will not change with the loss of one activity.

There is nothing that JC can do about the inability of all future students to hear from the Holocaust speakers as they grow old and pass away. As a school, JC has done so much for years to enable this opportunity for the students.  It is impressive that this tradition has lasted for so many years. Every class has been blessed by being able to meet such a remarkable group of people.

The effects of this loss, whenever it may occur, will most likely only be felt for the following four years. As classes continue to filter through the school, they will eventually forget about the old tradition of Holocaust speakers.

However, this should not impact how students feel about the experience of learning about the Holocaust. With a trip to the Holocaust Museum and Arlington Cemetery, the unit still has a profound impact.

Each person connects differently with the Holocaust. This connection should not be allowed to diminish because of the lack of Holocaust survivors, just as the emphasis on this unit should not be negatively affected.

Lindsay Powell is a Reporter for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com.