Spring Break
Community remembers Holocaust with survivor Gerda Klein
Remembering atrocities means action
Kaitlin Johnson
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Features
Holocaust survivor Gerda Klein had been to 49 states. After last weekend, she's seen them all.
Over the weekend, Klein spoke at UAA, Congregation Beth Sholom and Moose Pass School.
Klein's visit can be credited to the small community of Moose Pass, located outside of Seward. Moose Pass raised support and funds to bring Klein to their small town, in an effort to remember the Holocaust and teach tolerance.
Erin Knotek delivers mail in Moose Pass. She orchestrated the efforts to bring a survivor to her community after visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. She said that while she'd always been interested in the Holocaust, the museum deeply affected her, and she decided that she wanted to become an active part of the memory process.
Because Moose Pass is such a small community, people can be very idealistic in raising their kids, she said.
"There are children here that had never even heard of the Holocaust," Knotek said.
Knotek began networking to find ways to bring a survivor to Alaska. Her search led her to Bill Myers, a history professor at UAA who teaches courses on fascism, modern Germany, the Holocaust and genocides.
Myers suggested that Knotek approach Klein. He'd used Klein's book in classes and had been in contact with her press agent. Klein is a noted speaker, celebrated author and the winner of an Academy Award for her role in the documentary "One Survivor Remembers." Her standard fee for speaking is $8,000; however, she agreed to visit Alaska for only $2,500.
Knotek and Moose Pass raised enough money to cover the cost of bringing Klein up. Knotek explained the project to her seventh-grade English teacher, who spread word to the Jewish community across the nation. The project received widespread support.
"People from New York were sending money to Moose Pass, Alaska," Knotek said.
Knotek received 20 letters, each with $10 to $150 in them, from people from all parts of the United States. The money totaled almost $1,000.
Over the weekend, Klein spoke at UAA, Congregation Beth Sholom and Moose Pass School.
Klein's visit can be credited to the small community of Moose Pass, located outside of Seward. Moose Pass raised support and funds to bring Klein to their small town, in an effort to remember the Holocaust and teach tolerance.
Erin Knotek delivers mail in Moose Pass. She orchestrated the efforts to bring a survivor to her community after visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. She said that while she'd always been interested in the Holocaust, the museum deeply affected her, and she decided that she wanted to become an active part of the memory process.
Because Moose Pass is such a small community, people can be very idealistic in raising their kids, she said.
"There are children here that had never even heard of the Holocaust," Knotek said.
Knotek began networking to find ways to bring a survivor to Alaska. Her search led her to Bill Myers, a history professor at UAA who teaches courses on fascism, modern Germany, the Holocaust and genocides.
Myers suggested that Knotek approach Klein. He'd used Klein's book in classes and had been in contact with her press agent. Klein is a noted speaker, celebrated author and the winner of an Academy Award for her role in the documentary "One Survivor Remembers." Her standard fee for speaking is $8,000; however, she agreed to visit Alaska for only $2,500.
Knotek and Moose Pass raised enough money to cover the cost of bringing Klein up. Knotek explained the project to her seventh-grade English teacher, who spread word to the Jewish community across the nation. The project received widespread support.
"People from New York were sending money to Moose Pass, Alaska," Knotek said.
Knotek received 20 letters, each with $10 to $150 in them, from people from all parts of the United States. The money totaled almost $1,000.
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tomfeinberg
Custom Dissertation Writing
posted 3/31/09 @ 7:06 AM AKST
"There are children here that had never even heard of the Holocaust," I find this words very interesting!
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