In the city of Lynn, Massachusetts, the Global Embassy for Peace Activists (GEAP) held the “Educating to Remember” Educational Forum in the English High School Auditorium and presented the "Traces for Remember" project.
The activity was carried out with the objective of strengthening, through an integral education, the teaching of ethical, moral and spiritual principles and values; reflection and practice of actions of respect for universal rights and human dignity; based on the study of the history of the Holocaust and other genocides.
(See: Educate to Remember Program)
The event was attended by Massachusetts Senator Tom McGee; State representatives Brendan Crighton and Lori Ehrlich; the president of the Union of Professors; and members of different educational institutions, including:
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Public School Lynn Classical
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Lynn English High School
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Lynn Vocational
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Technical Institute
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Fecteau-Leary School
In addition, representatives of the local police, councilors, teachers, regional coordinator of GEAP, Juan González, the media and the community in general attended the event.
A story that should not be repeated
With welcome words from Thomas Strangie, principal of English High School, the Educational Forum began, attended by 1,200 students from different schools in the city.
The Forum was supported by Catherine Latham, Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools, who in the opening remarks said:
"The Holocaust was a terrible event in history, which ended with the death of approximately 6 million people; that's almost the entire population of Massachusetts. We study history not only to satisfy our past interests, but to have the ability to identify situations that allow us to not repeat events."
"The work of the Global Embassy of Peace Activists and Lynn Public Schools is an opportunity to understand the need for human rights for all people and to bring about a deep understanding of the Holocaust," added Moore.
Robert Leikind, director of the American Jewish Committee, said, Hitler came to power through elections, and people make daily elections, which allow him to fight intolerance, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice.
Jonathan Miller, head of the civil rights section of the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, referred in a speech to Maura Healey, who said,
"It is important for society to gain the support of individuals, teachers, official authorities, to make a difference; we at the attorney general's offices are combating prejudice and hatred, so events like the Holocaust will never be repeated again."
Traces to Remember
The project "Traces to remember" is intended to keep alive the testimony of Holocaust survivors as a way to prevent the recurrence of one of the most sinister chapters in human history.
It consists of the display of a plaque in the form of the Star of David, which contains the handprints of a Holocaust survivor, as well as the handprints of one of his sons and those of one of his grandchildren.
The plaque, accompanied by a portrait, presents a text with a brief description of what happened in the Holocaust, and an account of the story of the survivor.
On this occasion Holocaust survivors Ruby Sosnowicz and Saul Dreir were honored, who counted their testimonies and unveiled plaques commemorating their fingerprints.