Reflection on Holocaust Honored
Remi Aaron Honored by Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center
Some sophomores in Kathleen Dailey’s Global History class chose to write poetry, others painted, one even created a video of dance interpretation, when asked to create art in response to a unit on genocide.
The creative outlet to the unit which spans the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust and the Rwandan Genocide gave students a way to process and reflect on dark and hard chapters in history.
Not only did each student benefit from the process, but the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center announced that the painting entitled “Tree of Life, Life of Hope,” created by John Jay’s Remi Aaron, was awarded third place in their Genocide Awareness Student Contest. A donation will be made in her name to Feeding America.
Tree of Life
Creative Response Gives Students Way to Process and Reflect
“I wanted to illustrate a consequence of the Holocaust that is often forgotten about,” said Remi. “My painting illustrates the loss of faith so many Jewish people felt because of the suffering they endured during the Holocaust. The Tree of Life, a symbol of the connection between life and the Jewish religion, is burning to represent the disconnect many felt from their religion as a result of the immense torture they were subjected to.”
Students Honored, shown with teacher Kathleen Dailey
Judges impressed
“All of my sophomores created a response to the genocide unit,” said Dailey. “The class voted on which projects would be submitted to the Genocide Awareness Student Contest.”
Submissions included artwork by Aidan Brinn in response to the Rwandan Genocide, the poem “Never Forget” written by Andrew Condon and Ben Swiderski in response to the Holocaust; an original dance, “Holocaust Pains,” created by Emerson Doran; and the poem “The Role of the Bystander,” by Kylie Schall.
“The judges were impressed with all the students’ work,” said Julie Scallero, director of education at the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center.