This week I wrote a story on Holocaust Remembrance Week (Apr. 15-22), and I just wanted to share a story that I shared with a few of the people I interviewed for the story.
When I was a junior in high school, my U.S. History teacher assigned a paper in which we were required to prove the existence of the Holocaust to a Holocaust denier. A lot of people in the class looked at each other, wondering, ‘Who would deny the Holocaust?’ Some people said any deniers were probably descendants of former Nazis, others just thought they were crazy hooligans who couldn’t get a job anywhere because of their ridiculous views. But my teacher then told us that there had been a Holocaust denier teaching in that very classroom two or three decades prior. Apparently, this former high school teacher and his wife are two infamous activists who both taught in the public school systems of the Chicagoland area. They are convinced the Holocaust didn’t happen and are known for trying to convince others of the same. Our job in the paper our teacher assigned was to prove the existence of the Holocaust so people like them could not possibly deny it. We were supposed to make them realize how important it is to look back on our mistakes, learn from them and never let them happen again.
The people I interviewed for this story shared with me why it was important to remember and told me that there are still some people who actively try to forget that the Holocaust happened. I know because I’ve been a witness to it. I’m grateful to have written a story about such an important week in looking back on our collective history as human beings. Remembering the Holocaust, as sad, tragic and disastrous as it was, is an important step in understanding our history and preventing it from happening again.