During the Holocaust, most people turned a blind eye to the discrimination, persecution and genocide of the 6 million Jews by the Nazis. Explain how and why bystanders, as the majority of society, made the choice to support the Nazi regime and their spread of hatred.
The topic above served as the question in an essay contest for 7th-grade students attending the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy. Sponsored by Fox Rothschild and the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, students from the all-male campus wrote about the dangers of bystander behavior.
The Fox Rothschild Essay Contest challenged students to be objective and determine why the events of the Holocaust occurred and what people could have done to prevent it from happening. By thoroughly exploring the actions and events of the past, the students made connections to other genocides in modern warfare, and they learned the powerful effects of Upstander behavior.
The Dallas Holocaust Museum’s mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. The core exhibit of the Museum focuses on events that depict wartime heroism such as the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the successful attempt by partisans who stopped the 20th Deportation Train from Belgium and freed 221 Jews. These events demonstrate that it is possible to help others in the face of unimaginable horror.
The panel of judges included the Museum’s Assistant Director of Education, Dr. Charlotte Decoster; Dr. Neena Biswas; Gerardo Galvan; Jack Baum; Dodee Frost Crockett; Mark Alfieri; Jamal Carty and Betsey Hecksel.
Prizes were awarded on Thursday, May 10, 2016, at the Jewish Community Center located at 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas, TX 75230. The finalists, Ivan Leiva, Marcus Johnson and Pablo Torres, along with their parents met Fox Rothschild’s Dallas Office Managing Partner Clint David, the Museum’s President/CEO Mary Pat Higgins, and several of the Museum’s Board of Directors.
Ivan Leiva won first place in the contest and read his essay aloud.
The first place contestant received a $200 savings bond and a $100 Barnes and Noble gift card. The second place contestant won a $100 Barnes and Noble gift card, and the third place contestant won a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card. All prizes were donated by Fox Rothschild.
For more information, please visit www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org or call (214) 741-7500.
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