‘Be the change’
I’d like to acknowledge Robert Wiener’s excellent coverage of the annual Youth Leadership Seminar hosted by Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys.
It is difficult to communicate in one short piece the essence of a day-long program.Yet, Mr.Wiener captured the excitement of the students and the survivors in a deep and moving way that allowed the reader to feel that he or she had almost been there. Kol hakavod!
Second, I wanted to highlight the ongoing help and advice we receive from the Holocaust Council of MetroWest, and in particular from Barbara Wind, executive director. Since 1997, when we took our first busload of students to the U.S.Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, the Holocaust Council has assisted us to organize and creatively plan our programs and contact those schools whose students would benefit most from our trips.
I would also like to recognize and thank Roger Flartey who, through his donation to the Holocaust Council, generously covered the costs for meals at this event. As you can imagine, it is more difficult now to find funding to bring between 200-300 students to Washington during the school year to learn the lessons of the Holocaust, and for the follow-up event in May. It is only through the generosity of people like Mr. Flartey that we can continue our work.
The Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys Fund, a nonprofit under the auspices of the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest, was established in June 1997 to honor the memory of Morris Rubell, a Holocaust survivor. Our goal is to promote tolerance, character education, and responsible citizenship by teaching the lessons of the Holocaust to young people and teachers of all races and religions. To date, we have taken approximately 4,000 students to the museum and hosted nine Youth Leadership Seminars. Students who participate are transformed through the experience and the learning — both cognitive and effective — that takes place. On each trip and at every seminar, these students meet and forge a life-long bond with survivors. It is a vital program, and though I wish I could continue to run it with my own resources, I cannot do so without the help of our community.
To learn more about us, see photos, or to contribute, visit RemembranceJourneys.org or call us at 973-889-1222, and help us help our youth “Remember and Be the Change.”
Michael Rubell, Founder
Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys
Whippany
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