Holocaust museum excursion
As a part of Year 11 Modern History, our class was given the opportunity to visit the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Elsternwick to get a first-hand experience of the suffering victims of the Holocaust dealt with on a deeper level. The excursion consisted of our small Year 11 Modern History class.
On the trip, we toured rooms where we were amazed by the amazing artifacts, all of which were real. One artifact in particular, that cultivated everyone’s attention, was a scale model of a synagogue made by one of the Holocaust survivors once he sought refuge in Australia. It was completed with an interior and lighting. Some other things that hooked students’ attention were the real uniforms worn by the prisoners and their IDs. It was really interesting seeing the personal belongings of Holocaust survivors, such as the clothing, the bowls, and other everyday items used by Jewish people in concentration camps. These objects gave us a deeper understanding of the harsh conditions Jewish people endured. The activity of table groups for discussing and analysing sources of propaganda and the physical artifact photos stood out and were engaging to us, as they showed important perspectives and insights into what life was like during that time period and the significance these sources/artifacts had. The display of death certificates was particularly shocking, providing a reminder of the brutal and horrific reality faced during the Holocaust. However, undoubtedly the highlight of the excursion was hearing the story of a first-hand Jewish survivor and asking him questions about his experiences. This is definitely a privilege for us students who got to experience things that we may never get to have the chance to again.
One of the most interesting artifacts was the fake identity cards of the holocaust survivor Henry Ekert’s parents, which were mind-blowing as they showed the real consequences of extreme measures Jewish people had to take to survive. Hearing Henry’s personal story brought these historical events to life and helped us understand how deeply these traumatic experiences affected him and countless others. His story added a powerful, humane and real view to our understanding of the Holocaust and its long-lasting impact.
A moment that undoubtedly touched everyone’s heart was the story of Henry’s life and the ways he described it saying he never got the chance to have a real childhood because at the age of 5 his entire life purpose was to survive in a place where everything and anything threatened his life it showed the brutality of Nazi Germany and the lack of humanity.
Overall, the journey of expanding our education beyond the classroom was certainly a wholesome and engaging experience which brought perspective to the immense suffering of all the targeted communities under the Nazi ruling which never would’ve been accomplishable in class. It was a significant moment to witness a holocaust survivor in person, and our class will forever be grateful to have participated in such an event.
Giwa Erol, Abeer Tayyab and modern history VCE YR 11 class
Year 9 Humanities: Geography
This term in Geography, our Year 9 students have been learning about the different types of biomes around the world. They have also had to analyse which biomes are more important for survival to create their own biodomes for a hypothetical future world where the earth’s natural landscapes have been destroyed. They have also examined different farming techniques in preparation for their CAT where they will analyse the food security status of a country of their choice.
