Livingston Students Reflect on Class Life Lessons

We have all heard the cliché phrase “Never Again” in regards to genocides like the Holocaust. When given the opportunity to follow through with these words, however, we continuously allow crimes against humanity to occur. Students in Mrs Jill Tejeda’s Holocaust and Genocide course at Livingston High School are learning why it is important to spread awareness and not let these travesties occur.

Of course the final aspiration is to have no more genocides or any crimes against humanity to occur but there is a lot more spreading awareness can do. The goal may be to prevent, but it is also to stop already occurring massacres and other tumultuous events. In spreading awareness, one also pays tribute to those who passed away due to genocide. It is up to the living to tell the stories of those who have passed.

Most importantly, genocide is a product of misinformation along with hate and discrimination. When we teach the youth about understanding one another and learning to live with and love the differences of people. In that way, it is possible to stop genocide in its tracks. Every individual must do his or her part in order to help this greater goal be achieved. It is not until we can all put our differences aside that we can truly expect to see change.

The students in this class hope to teach others about brave people like Janusz Korczak, who scarificed his life to be there with the orphans entrusted into his care, and Jacqueline Murekatete, who escaped death in Rwanda and now tells her story to everyone who will listen. They hope to show people the main ideas of genocide and crimes against humanity and how they are not to be tolerated. The class hopes to do for others what their teacher, Mrs Tejeda, did for them and teach about the holocaust and genocide.

— Written and submitted by Taylor Rosenblum, Lauren Bressman and Carly Chroman