Auschwitz: The Past is Present
Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz
Using Testimony in your classroom connects the past to the present. - IWitness - USC Shoah Foundation
Roman Kent's Speech at the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz: Engages students in thinking about tolerance and peace.
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CHOICE
by Soljane Martinez-Quiles Shuffling feet, quickly to and fro Our snow boots on a mission knowing where to go We have a choice While 70 years ago they shuffled under duress Their last pair of shoes, their last need for a dress They had no choice Stopping. Framing. Clicking. Reviewing. The gate. HALT! STOJ! Arbeit Macht Frei, our for the viewing We have a choice Stopping. Yelling. Walking. Freedom...a twisted perception Arbeit Macht Frei. Theirs was deception. They had no choice A crossroad at appelle we reach. We pause and consider To the left? To the right? Which path is the better? We have a choice Crosshairs they reached. No pause. No time to decide To the left? To the right? Each a path on which they were to die They had no choice A suitcase, a carry-on, an iPad...the essentials, the "necessities" We live in a world dominated by excessiveness We have a choice A suitcase, a mixing bowl, eyeglasses, pictures Necessities for a life to rebuilt elsewhere Yet elsewhere was nowhere For what it was, was no place, no way to live They had no choice And yet their lives they did give |