Holocaust Survivors Teach Lasting Lessons at Local Catholic High School

Feb. 16, 2011 - PRLog -- The Holocaust was a terrible tragedy that revealed the hideous ideas that a human mind can foster towards one another. It showed the world the atrocities that can come from unchecked racism. It is an experience that we as the new generation must learn from to understand why tolerance is so important.

This is why it was so important that Mr. Badilla, a Religion Teacher at Crespi Carmelite High School, organized the visitation of the Holocaust survivors. We we’re able to learn from the terrible events of an age that has not so long been past. We understood the destructive methods that Hitler used to annihilate the Jewish population. Thanks to this meeting with two of the members of the quickly disappearing Holocaust survivors, we can understand one of the true messages of Christmas.

Love, family, understanding, these are qualities that are often forgotten and placed second to the reception of presents during Christmas, but for the Holocaust survivors, while they suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime, it was these things that kept them going. It was these ideas that allowed them to endure the horrible atrocities that they had to endure.

This is why it was important that the Holocaust survivors came to Crespi to relive their terrors, so that we can live with more tolerance. As Mr. Badillia says: “The idea was so that you could see them say, ‘we are old and won’t be around much longer, so you will have to spread the message soon.’” We will have to spread the message of the terrible atrocious that racism can bring, and we had to learn from experience why it is a terrible force that causes the destruction of Human dignity. We had to learn from experience that Christmas ideals were more important than the presents we receive.