On Sunday, March 8, 15 high school students from 10 area high schools visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on a trip funded by the Ida and Bernhard Behr Holocaust Memorial Education Second Century Fund.
The trip was led by local Holocaust educator Fred Whittaker, who teaches Holocaust education at St. Francis of Assisi, and was chaperoned by Solange Minstein, a member of the Louisville Jewish community and Nina Sanchez-Flores, an ESL teacher at the International Academy at Iroquois High School.
Participants attended an education session with Whittaker before the trip to prepare them for what they would see at the museum. Many participants, however, did not expect the emotional reaction they had to displays. One participant reported that the trip was meaningful for her because it showed “how quickly your life can change.” She further stated, “the trip changed me for the best.”
After the trip, the participants again met with Whittaker to discuss how best to share their experience with their friends, so the lessons they learned on this trip would resonate beyond the 15 students selected.
