2022
BACKGROUND
Stones of Remembrance Project By CHARLES HACKER, Atlanta Jewish Times
The Stones of Remembrance Project is an annual activity that memorializes the one and a half million children who were killed in the Holocaust. Students from public or private elementary, middle, and high schools are invited to participate.
They are given an actual child’s first and last name, the date and place of birth, and the date and place of death. They write this information on a specially prepared stone and decorate it as they like. The stone then becomes a unique memorial to that child’s life. Students are encouraged to write a short essay on their participation in the project. The stones are then either displayed as a Holocaust memorial on their school grounds, or each student can take their stone home and place it in a special location in their yard. Here are some of the essays that were written this year by Atlanta Public School fifth grade students from Morningside Elementary School under the guidance of Mr. Taylor Hatcher, fifth grade teacher. Others can be found on the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum Website. All of these essays were written by 5th grade students at Morningside Elementary School. The teacher explained that for safety purposes, students could only provide their first name and last name initial:
Display of Stones of Remembrance
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Stones of Remembrance Project Dylan S. The Holocaust is one of the worst experiences in human history. One guy committing mass murder with no one to stop him. Killing millions of people and children, multiples at a time. Children as young as one years old were being killed with no mercy. How terrible! But there are some things that are helpful: we can learn about how horrific it really was and make sure it doesn’t happen again, and even honor the people that died. That is what the Stones of Remembrance Project is doing. It is very kind to bring these people back to life through memories. Making these stones makes me feel like I am helping them have a life they never had a chance to live. It restores my faith in humanity. Devon C. The Holocaust was an awful, horrid period in time when Jewish children and adults were murdered for no reason at all. When I first learned about it, I was completely shocked at what I was hearing. I wanted to go back in time and somehow stop the Holocaust from ever happening. I wanted to erase history. I think my opinion on this subject is worldwide and shared by many people. My opinion is that everyone that died during the Holocaust should get a second chance at life, and that no one, not a single life that was lost during this time, deserved to die. What we are doing is a good act of kindness and a way to bring awareness of people that died during this time. I think this is a great way to remember people as well as doing a small colorful activity. I cannot emphasize how much compassion I have for the Jewish people. I know this activity will help honor some of these millions of people, at least a little bit.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Abby J. It means a lot for us to create these stones for the children who died in the Holocaust. It’s actually really sad to make these stones because lots of children died at really young ages. They didn’t get to live their full lives. I hate the Holocaust because it treated Jewish people like they were garbage and like their lives did not matter. I’m really glad I get to remember and celebrate these little kids’ small amount of life in a great way. Nate W. Laszlo Mazanzker was only the age of one when he was killed in the Holocaust along with many others. Many of my classmates have gotten young children for their remembrance stones. Most were the age of one or two.
Stones of Remembrance, candles lit by Holocaust survivors, and sunflowers honoring Ukraine displayed on the crypt at the Holocaust Memorial at Greenwood Cemetery.
I find it horrifying that anyone could do anything so inhumane to others because of their race or religion. I hope that nothing in the history of the Earth ever happens like this again. In school we learn about this and to not let this repeat itself. Such a scale of racism is never okay; any scale of racism is never okay. I feel the Nazis had no good reason to kill anyone. Laszlo Mazanzker was an innocent toddler who had barely any time in this world. His life came to an end almost as soon as it started. While Laszlo was alive, all he got to see were the horrors of the Holocaust and didn’t get to have any of the joy of even being alive. Laszlo could have been a famous person one day, but the Nazis took away all of his freedoms so that all that was left was a sad lonely child who got nothing. How could they have done this to anyone? Along with Laszlo were many other very young children. Laszlo should be remembered since when he was alive, he was known as a number to the Nazis. To me, Laszlo is a young, remembered child who had a purpose to live.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Hadley H. When you look back at the Holocaust, you think about all the Jews that died. You think about how some people were born in concentration camps. You think about how you would act if you were in the Holocaust. What would happen? Would you survive? What the Holocaust means to me is that innocent children died. Innocent people died. Jews died. They had no reason to die. It wasn’t their fault they were Jewish. It makes people really mad at how this happened. A lot of innocent children who were just born lost their lives for no reason. No reason at all. Just like the child I got, Maya Pampushka. She was only one year old. She died for no reason. Archer M. I think the Holocaust was a horrible thing. It caused the death of so many innocent people with families just because they celebrated a different religion. It is, in my opinion, one of the very worst things humanity has done. So many little kids, so many innocent lives were lost just because one horrible, horrible person decided they did not belong on Earth. It was inexcusable, a sin, a sin. Life is a pretty simple objective, with simple rules. In my mind, if you go against every one of those rules, you get the Holocaust, a manifestation of hate; the dark side of humanity. I think this project is a good thing to give an identify back to some of the unfortunate lives that were lost.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Maddie J. I think that the Holocaust was a very sad time, and I think that it is a great idea to color stones as a remembrance of the kids that died. But what I noticed is that we only made stones for the children. I wish that we could have done it for the adults too. I know the kids are always the ones who should come first and that they didn’t get to live as long as the adults.
But I feel like we aren’t remembering everyone. I feel that if the adults could see that we were remembering the children, they would be proud, but I also feel that they would have wanted to be remembered too. I feel that we are doing our best and that we should keep up the good work. Marley W. After writing on these stones, I feel sad. It makes me super sad to think that millions of people died in the Holocaust. The millions of people that died were innocent and were being blamed. The person that I put on my stone did not deserve to die at such a young age of four. At the age of four, you are supposed to be learning to ride a bike, not worry about being hunted down by the Nazis.
Marist School students working on memorializing their Stones of Remembrance
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Stones of Remembrance Project Zara F. Beautiful People For all the beautiful people out there, that have been slaughtered under Hitler’s horrible reign, You are remembered. For all the names, not the numbers. For all the lives that were lost. You will never be forgotten. On and on until the world collapses, You will always be in our hearts. For all the times you have shown us our true value. For all the hardships you have gone through. For all the things that you didn’t deserve to happen. You. Are. Extraordinary. For the times you heard little birds singing out their hearts on your windowsill. For all the times you admired the sunset out in the distance. For all the times you felt warm breezes brushing against your chin, as you danced in the wind. You are beautiful people.
Marist School students proudly displaying their Stones of Remembrance on campus.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Diana The Holocaust was bad because it killed people, and a lot of those people were children. Families were separated and put into concentration camps, also known as death camps. Some of the most common causes of death in the death camps were gas chambers, exhaustion, or being killed by the Nazi guards. The Nazis didn’t really care who they killed. Prisoners were forced to work or they got killed. The kids who died in concentration camps were as young as one year old.
Jacob E. I think the Holocaust was devastating and wrong. Hitler was wrong to think that Germans were a superior race, and that Jewish people were not part of that race. Hitler thought that Jewish people were a separate race, and he encouraged Germans to do bad things to Jewish people. While this was going on, Hitler was sending Jews to concentration camps. Some of these camps later became death camps. In my opinion, this was the saddest moment in the history of mankind.
Westminster School students commemorating their Stones of Remembrance.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Ariel Y The Holocaust was a very sad time. All those Jews were mass murdered. My family was also affected by the Holocaust. Not only was my family Jewish, but also Russian. I am sorrowful for everybody involved. Everyone there was stripped of their freedoms and identities. I believe that we can bring back everyone who was killed by bringing their identities back.
John R. I think the Holocaust was a very scary event in the history of the world. Six million Jewish people died In the Holocaust. Many of those people were kind and friendly civilians who were stripped of their rights, thrown in cells, and sadly killed. I believe this memorial is important because it shows how we stand up for Jewish people, and shows them how we wish that it never happened to them. This subject is a hard one to talk about because it is sad, gruesome, and horrifying. But talking about it shows our support and love to all those great people who died in the Holocaust.
Ellis O. When I walked into class today, I expected to be listening to an article about something. I was not prepared for the next half hour. Honestly, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for that diary entry. I’m usually loud and talkative. Today, I was not. I still cannot believe what Adolf Hitler did. I don’t like saying his name. Though it feels good to somewhat help those six million people who didn’t get to live the rest of their lives, it hurts to have to remember.
Marist School students working on their outdoor display of the Stones of Remembrance
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Stones of Remembrance Project Dear Edick Rabinovich, We still remember you to this day. We will never forget you. We love you. The Holocaust killed all of your family and friends. We will never let this happen to anybody again. You will always be known as
Edick Rabinovich. 1936-1932 Age: 6 Place of residence: Minsk We love you! You will always be remembered.
Noah C. I think this was a fun project, but it was on a sad topic. The Holocaust happened after the crash of the German economy. Since many Jewish people were bankers, Hitler blamed it on the Jews. Death camps were made for them while Germany was at war. This was a very sad time.
Judah O. The Holocaust, in my opinion, was one of the saddest things that ever happened. Especially to the innocent people who had done nothing, but were used as scapegoats and had to be killed by people who listened to Hitler. It was also sad hearing about the innocent adults, children, and even toddlers. No one should ignore what happened during the Holocaust. I bring out a quote from John Steinbeck in 1958, “… is man’s failure as a thinking animal.” Which means people failed to think and killed innocent Jews.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Amy Z. I think remembering and learning about the people who died in the Holocaust is important. I think this because when you learn about the people, you get to feel how they felt during the time. I think remembering the people can give them back the respect they should have already had during their time in the concentration camp. I think then we can know that it was a sad time. You can see that some kids died when they were one. You can see that a lot of people were not as lucky as you are. Those people didn’t go to school, play with friends, and worse would never again see their family and loved ones. It was truly a hard time during the Holocaust and afterwards for them. I think that remembering them is important.
Sasha D. Alik Nayer lived from 1938-1942. He was killed in the Holocaust. That’s why he died so young. I think the Holocaust was not okay because children under and over the age of one died for no reason. In the Holocaust, people’s identities were taken from them. Instead of names, they had a number tattooed on their arms. Their names were forgotten. This is not okay in so many ways. You can’t just take away someone’s name and home from them. There are so many more people who should be remembered than just these people. But at least some of the eleven million who were killed are remembered.
Colin M. The impact WWII had on civilians was gruesome and horrifying. The fact that multiple people killed over one and a half million kids and many millions of adults terrifies me. It’s awful that so many died, especially children. I respect them and frown upon the killers. I am dearly sorry for whoever had to go through it personally and for those who had to go through the loss of a loved one.
Elijah W. When I was coloring one of the stones, I felt bad for all those who were killed or separated from their parents. All of the people who were murdered didn’t deserve to be killed. They should have lived a happy life.
Julia P. To me the Holocaust was a horrible event that should never have happened. The experience must have been horrible for everyone alive then. I hate what happened to the Jews, especially because I am Jewish. I think the only good thing that came out of the Holocaust is that now we can make sure that it will never happen again. I like it when we do things to remember the Jews who died in the Holocaust because they deserve to be remembered.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Leela K. The Holocaust was a terrible time period. So many Jews and innocent citizens were murdered under the rule of Hitler. The Jews’ sacrifices will always be felt and remembered and celebrated for as long as we can. They are important and not just numbers.
Finn B. I think the Holocaust was a devastating time for many Jewish people because they were hunted down, stripped of their identify, and killed most times. If I were a Jewish kid during that time, I would be scared and probably hungry, too. During the Holocaust, six million Jewish people and five million others died. If you add them up, that’s eleven million. One and a half million of the Jewish people who died were children. The reason all of this happened is that Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany, hated the Jewish people and wanted them to be eliminated from the Earth. There is this organization that is studying history, trying to find the names of these unfortunate people.
Aila C. The Holocaust was a hard time during WWII. It was very sad and hard to learn about because so many people died who were innocent and did nothing. It was not only Jews that died, but also people who were disabled or people that Adolf Hitler did not like. I really hope that nothing like this will ever happen again because for me even learning about it was hard, scary, and sad. The Holocaust was scary, and millions of people died.
Students selecting keepsake Stones of Remembrance.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Tillie F. The Holocaust is one of those things you can’t explain. There’s so much behind it; so many things to feel. The people were stripped of their identities, their heritage, their names. They were only left with a number and the freedom of thought. These people, they were so much more than numbers. Nobody should be addressed as “541” or have their identity taken away. These people mattered. My heart goes out to those who passed and those who will never forget the feeling when they were shoved into a concentration camp. They deserved more. No matter how many times they were pushed, shoved, or addressed as numbers, they stayed strong. They were people, and we will never forget those who passed or those who remember the pain.
John B. The Holocaust was the most evil event in history. First the Nazis would take the Jewish people to camps and take their identify and then kill them. The worst thing of all was that they would kill children and even babies. For example, the person I got for the Stones of Remembrance Project Roman Bazes. He was born and killed in Krakow, Poland. He was only one year old. That is awful. In conclusion, the Holocaust was a terrible time.
Adriano E. During the Holocaust many people lost their lives, and many were children. Some children who died in concentration camps were not even ten years old. The person who I made a stone for was Gitta Eisert. This person lived in Czernowitz, Ukraine. This person died in Bug. The worst part of this is that this person was not even ten. When you think of the people who died, you can’t even imagine how bad it was. The Nazis would torture them. They would even take their identities away before they killed them. In my opinion, I would rather die with an identity than not having one. They would call them by numbers. They would kill them with very bad stuff. Still today people disagree with it.
Taylor A. The Holocaust was an awful time. There was no reason for that to happen. Those people were innocent and had no reason to be murdered. The Stones of Remembrance Project was a great way to remember the brave people who suffered through this time period. This was very important so we do not forget the lost innocent people. It’s so surprising that our own kind can do such a thing to other people.
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Stones of Remembrance Project Francine E. The Holocaust was sad because it was wrong for the Nazis to kill innocent Jews just because of their religion. I bet it was really scary to be in Germany during the Holocaust. This is how I feel about the Holocaust.
Emeka R. The Holocaust was when Nazi Germany took away the rights of Jewish people. The Nazis killed many innocent people for no good reason. The people that they killed had everything about them taken away. All of the victims of the Holocaust should be given back their names. The Holocaust should never be forgotten, and the victims should forever be remembered.
Aidan D. I don’t like the Holocaust because it’s all about killing Jews and sending kids and adults to concentration camps. When they went to concentration camps, they were either forced to work, or they were killed by Nazis. The Nazis were being controlled by Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler was a dictator and a bad person. He thought Jews were a disease that the world needed to be rid of, and he just didn’t like them at all. Adolf Hitler was the leader/dictator of Germany. He killed six million Jews and one and a half million of those Jews were kids. Later, Hitler and his wife committed suicide because they didn’t want to face the consequences of what would happen to them.
Ved D. We all know that the Holocaust was one of the most horrifying times of history. So Morningside Elementary School fifth grade students made stones to remember the innocent people who passed during that horrible time. Each of us got a name and stuff about that person. We want to remember all of these people from this time. We made the stones colorful, cheerful, and hopeful. We want to appreciate the people who were so scared at this time.
Arman S. My feeling about the Holocaust is: sad, mad, and confused about why and how someone could do such terrible damage. The Holocaust was an act that was powered by hate and anger that was so unnecessary and a waste of lives and time. We now understand those times. We learn and hope that it will never happen again because hate has a bad impact, and love has a healing and loving impact on the world. In closing, the Holocaust was very unfortunate and dark with hate.
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Stones of Remembrance Project
Stones of Remembrance and sunflowers honoring Ukraine displayed at the Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery during the 2022 Yom HaShoah commemoration
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