IHE/WPS/ESU2 brings back Holocaust survivor assemblies; Stories to be shared on stage March 25
Wahoo hosts second-generation survivor Rochelle Brown Rainey & Laurie Pasler (whose father worked at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials following WWII) for annual 'Week of Understanding' programs
Launch the media gallery 1 playerSecond generation Holocaust survivor Rochelle Brown Rainey and Courtroom 600 founder Laurie Pasler will be our featured speakers on Tuesday, March 25 (10:00-11:30 a.m. & 1:30-3:00 p.m.). WPS is pleased to once again work with ESU2 to host this annual event in recognition of the Week of Understanding, sponsored by the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha. Both sessions are open to the public.
“That’s the difficulty in these times: ideals, dreams, and cherished hopes rise within us, only to meet the horrible truth and be shattered. It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet, I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
-Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl
Wahoo Public Schools is pleased to once again work in cooperation with the Institute for Holocaust Education (Omaha) and Educational Service Unit 2 (Fremont) to host Holocaust survivor assemblies in recognition of this year's Week of Understanding.
On Tuesday, March 25, Wahoo Middle and High School students, along with 6-12 students across Nebraska, will have the opportunity to personally meet and hear from Rochelle Brown Rainey (who tells the life stories of Holocaust survivor mother Madga Brown), and Laurie Pasler (who tells the story of her father’s behind the scenes experience at the Nuremberg Trials)
Our guests will be speaking live from the Wahoo Public Schools Performance-Learning Center. WMS/WHS students, along with students from other schools in the region, will attend these assemblies on site, and students from schools across the state will connect live from remote sites, via the school's YouTube channel.
This year two speakers will share their personal stories and respond to audience questions.
- Rochelle Brown Rainey will share her mother’s story during a morning presentation from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
- Laurie Pasler will share her father’s story during an afternoon presentation from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
(60 minutes of Survivor testimony will be followed by 30 minutes during which our speakers will respond to audience questions.)
Wahoo High School students will attend the morning assembly, and Wahoo Middle School students will attend the afternoon presentation. Community members are openly invited to attend these events as well, either in person, or via the YouTube live-stream (link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfsAuQGa87easBGbGBy87vg).
ALL SCHOOLS that would like to participate in one or both of these events, on site or remotely, please click to register: REGISTRATION LINK
Now in its 15th year, this important IHE program began as an effort to bring first-hand Holocaust survivor and U.S. liberator testimony to schools across the metro, giving students the opportunity to hear this testimony while survivors and liberators are still here to tell their stories. For those survivors and liberators who are no longer with us, their families continue to keep their stories alive.
ESU 2 became involved with the Week of Understanding back in 2012, the program's second year. Since then, the geographic reach has expanded beyond metropolitan Nebraska schools to include not only live student audiences traveling to Wahoo, but also school audiences totaling thousands of students connected remotely from the rural east, central and panhandle regions of Nebraska.
"It is my hope that the primary, human experience of meeting and listening to survivors will give our young adults an understanding and an appreciation that cannot be gleaned from secondary source materials," said ESU 2 spokesperson Diane Wolfe. "More powerful, more compelling than photos, text or video is the face-to-face personal opportunity to visit with those individuals. Additionally, it is our hope that this encounter will underscore the importance of taking action to prevent social injustice long before it becomes a holocaust-scale mass human disaster."
IHE Executive Director Scott Littky also stressed the importance of keeping these voices in the spotlight, in hopes that such a tragic chapter of history is never repeated.
“As time takes us away from the Holocaust, it is even more critical to listen to the words of the witnesses,” commented Littky. “Their personal stories add a face and a name to a distant and somewhat incomprehensible event. Not all survivors can speak about their experiences. Some want only to remember their memories silently, but for some, there is a need to speak out. These individuals, and others like them, are the last to bear witness to the Holocaust. It has never been more important to listen to the words of this generation."
Again, all are invited to these sessions. If you represent a school, please register for these assemblies at the link above. If you are a community member (or if you have any questions), please register by contacting WPS Band Director Jason Smith at 402-443-4332, ext. 3302, or email jsmith@wahoowarriors.org.
About the Speakers
Presenter: Laurie Pasler, Project Director for Courtroom 600
Topic: Courtroom 600 – Behind The Scenes At The Nuremberg Trials
Laurie Pasler, Project Director for Courtroom 600. After inheriting her father’s hidden WWII memorabilia from working at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, Laurie discovered a need for education about this unexposed slice of history. The Courtroom 600 project was born out of Laurie’s frustration in researching the trials through available online resources—and hundreds of books. In 2016 she founded Descendants Media Group NFP to preserve the legacy of Nuremberg and teach its lessons to future generations in a new way. Now, in partnership with educators, historians, and digital media experts, she is actively bringing the Courtroom 600 project to life.
Rochelle Brown Rainey
Rochelle is the daughter of Holocaust survivor Magda Brown who was a frequent visitor to Omaha for the Week of Understanding. Magda passed away in the summer of 2020. We are honored that her daughter is continuing to tell Magda’s story and message.
“My hope is that through sharing my story, I
can personally talk about the horrors of the
Holocaust to remind this generation of the
dangers of hatred, prejudice and discrimination.”
— Magda Brown
Magda was a member of the Speaker’s Bureau of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Although it is painful to remember her horrendous experiences, she believed her story and others have to be told. The telling and remembrance of survivors’ stories will reassure those who doubt the Holocaust that it was a very real and frightening period in the 20th century. From one-on-one interviews with students to auditorium speeches, Magda was on a mission to tell her story to as many people as possible. Magda had spoken to more than 100,000 people at schools, universities, churches, synagogues and other events. She had given keynote speeches at Holocaust remembrance events held by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. In 2010, Magda traveled to Auckland, New Zealand to speak at The Eucharistic Convention. In 2013, Magda received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Aurora University in recognition of her “dignified, profound courage and her tireless efforts to share the Holocaust story.” In October 2018, Magda was scheduled to speak at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tragic shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue took place the day before. Magda didn’t hesitate to board the plane to Pittsburgh, saying, “Now the world needs to hear the message even more. Let’s go.” Magda’s experience was covered by The Washington Post and a variety of other media outlets, reaching millions of people. Magda strived to leave her audience with three important lessons:
Protect your freedom.
Think before you hate.
Stand up to the deniers.