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WHILE ONLY 11 US STATES REQUIRE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS, some amazing educators nationwide do not wait for official requirements. Many teachers around the country introduce the topic of the Holocaust into their classrooms, making sure that these
STORIES WILL NOT BE DENIED. The “UNDENIED - Teacher Appreciation” component of the project is where Students Supporting Israel Movement recognizes the educators who go above and beyond in ensuring future generations are familiar with the history of the Holocaust. If you currently have, or have had in the past, an educator you would like to recognize, please fill out the short form below. Our national team will make sure to send the educator an official "Exemplary Holocaust Educator Award" along with a 'thank you' letter expressing our and your appreciation in taking part in ensuring that NEVER AGAIN means NEVER AGAIN. Nominate an educator for the exemplary holocaust educator award
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Leonid Ostrovsky
In 1943 on the night of September 29, three hundred Prisoners of War revolted and tried to escape Babi Yar. Out of the 300, only 18 survived and out of the 18 only 9 stayed alive after the war, one of them was Leonid Ostrovsky. This project is in his memory, and the memory of the Jews and others murdered in Babi Yar, HYD.
The Babi Yar ravine in Kiev is the site of some of the worst massacres of World War II. The first and largest was carried out in September 1941 over a two-day period during which German forces executed 33,771 Jews. Over 100,000 more Jews, Romanis, Ukrainians, and Soviet prisoners of war were murdered throughout the next two years until the Soviets retook Kiev on November 6, 1943. On September 29th 1941 German forced captured the city of Kiev. All of the Jews in the city got a message to take their valuables and to come to the central station or they will be killed in their homes. 12 members of Leonid's family were murdered in Babi Yar, and today their names are remembered at Yad Vashem, from elderly to the youngest, Sarah, who was one year old. |
Isaac Estis
Isaac was born in a small town near Kiev. His parents were murdered in a pogrom when he was a child and he was raised by his two older sisters. He married Lia, but soon after the wedding he joined the Red Army to fight against Nazi Germany. Lia bravely raised their two sons while waiting for Isaac to come back from the war.
Approximately 1.5 million Jews fought in the regular Allied armies. In many cases the percentage of Jews fighting was greater than the percentage of Jews in the population. About 500,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the Red Army during World War II. Some 120,000 were killed in combat and in the line of duty; the Germans murdered 80,000 as prisoners of war. More than 160,000, at all levels of command, earned citations, with over 150 designated “Heroes of the Soviet Union”— the highest honor awarded to soldiers in the Red Army. Approximately 550,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the US Armed Forces during World War II. They served on all fronts in Europe and in the Pacific. Some 10,000 were killed in combat, and more than 36,000 received citations. Many Jewish soldiers took part in liberating the camps. Approximately 100,000 Jews fought in the Polish army against the German invasion. They made up 10% of the Polish army, commensurate with the percentage of Jews within the general population. Approximately 30,000 Jews fell in battle, were taken captive by the Germans, or declared missing during the battles defending Poland, 11,000 in the defense of Warsaw. Thousands of Jews later served in various Polish armies fighting against the Germans in the Allied Forces. About 30,000 Jews served in the British army in 1939-1946, some in special units of Jews from Palestine, such as the Jewish Brigade. |