Today was the first of a two-day visit for the Tour for Humanity to an elementary school in Milton. There were 6 workshops on the bus: five Grade 5 classes and one Grade 4/5 class. All students participated in the Simon’s Story workshop. There were some very inquisitive students in each of the classes who really seemed to be working on developing their understanding of the Holocaust and how to be upstanders. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Daniella was very impressed with this very diverse community's  level of knowledge demonstrated by the students.

One young student really impressed Daniella because she right away announced to her class that Hitler was antisemitic and targeted the Jewish people and then proceeded to tell her class about a trip she had taken to Berlin and how she had visited Hitler’s bunker. The class was very interested in her story, furthering their engagement which was evidenced in the many questions that were asked about the Holocaust. Daniella explained to the class that Hitler blamed all of Germany’s problems on the Jewish people and she emphasized how the Nazis used propaganda to manipulate people.

Another class was very preoccupied with whether or not prisoners were able to escape concentration camps. Daniella explained to the students that being in the camps was sort of a combination of being a slave and being in prison. She asked the students if people often escaped prison today; when they said "no," Daniella made the same parallel to camp prisoners so the students could relate better to the material being presented.

It was a good day filled with inquisitive questions and enriching discussions! Tomorrow we return to the same school to host another 6 workshops for Grades 6-8 students.