Schools mark World Holocaust Day

Last Wednesday was World Holocaust Day and various schools in Malta held activities throughout the past week to remember the Nazis' intolerance, cruelty and killing of six million Jews during World War II, including half a million children.

It was stressed to students that all that was happening in Europe between 1939 and 1945 was the result of xenophobia and if we do not remember, it could happen again.

Year 5 and year 6 classes at Kirkop Primary C, which forms part of St Benedict's College, had special lessons about World War II and Hitler's cruel treatment of Jews, and were shown a short video called The short life of Anne Frank.

The activity was not just about remembering the past and pitying the Jews. The pupils were reminded that there are still people today who are racist, intolerant and look down on people who have different political opinions, and that sometimes even children are bullies and hurt others. Sir Adrian Dingli Girls' Junior Lyceum, which forms part of St Clare College, marked the day by holding a special assembly that focused on the life of St Maximilian Kolbe.

An interesting and effective Powerpoint presentation was prepared and delivered highlighting the saint's sacrifice whereby to save the life of an inmate at Auchwitz concentration camp he offered to be executed instead of him. Other activities consisted in mounting an exhibition on Auchwitz and Birkinau concentration camps and in the reading of reflections on the subject by Form 4 and Form 3 History and Social Studies students during the special assembly.

The pupils in these two schools also took part in a worldwide project to commemorate the Holocaust, called the Crocus project. Crocuses are bright yellow flowers with six petals. Jews were forced to wear a bright yellow six-pointed Star of David in all Nazi-occupied countries.

The pupils were all given a crocus bud to plant in flower pots which they then placed together to form a huge six-pointed star. It is hoped that when the crocuses bloom, the bright yellow flowers will remind them of all the Jewish children killed in the Holocaust, and teach them to be kind, tolerant and hate racism.

Meanwhile, during the special assembly held at E.B. Vella Primary School B, Mosta, students acted out incidents in Germany and role-played journalists reporting these incidents to re-live incidents and empathise with those who suffered during those times.

They also gave accounts of more modern 'holocausts' of Bosnia in 1992, and Rwanda in 1994. Other activities involved the children singing David Azzopardi's song Li Qatt Ma Rridu Gwerer, li Qatt ma Rridu Ġlied, and listening to the message for peace contained in the song Ms Sarajevo by Bono and the late Pavarotti.