BC Students Explore Holocaust Survivor Testimonies
The Capstone 12 Project is a key component of the BC high school curriculum and is a requirement for all students to graduate. It serves as a culminating project that allows students to demonstrate their learning in a field they are passionate about.
This year, three BC high school students—Eli, Tamara and Teagan—chose the Holocaust as their field of study and used material from the VHEC testimony collection as the basis for their Capstone 12 Projects.
Eli studied the VHEC testimony of Janos Benisz, a child Holocaust survivor from Hungary, to learn about his Holocaust experience and to prepare for his own interview of Janos. Eli then had the privilege of spending an afternoon with Janos, interviewing him at length. For his final project, Eli produced an essay about the process, entitled “The Experience of a Youth Holocaust Survivor: Conducting a Survivor Testimony.” Eli presented his Capstone 12 Project to parents and fellow students at his high school’s Capstone Fair in June. Watch Eli’s interview with Janos below.
“I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity I was given by the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and the generosity of Janos Benisz in devoting his time to record this testimony for my Capstone. Rarely these days would one be lucky enough to meet a Holocaust survivor, let alone conduct a full testimony and connect with them on a personal level. For this experience I carry the utmost gratitude.”
—Eli
Tamara and VHEC Director of Education Lise Kirchner
Tamara studied three survivor testimonies from the VHEC collection to conduct a comparative analysis of women’s experience of Nazi concentration camps.
“This has been a rough topic mentally to write about, not only because it deals with death and sorrow, but I feel like I have gotten to know these women on a personal level.”
—Tamara
Teagan used VHEC survivor testimonies to create a 15-minute-long documentary that explores identity, values and culture in the context of the Holocaust. The title of the documentary is How Learning from Holocaust Survivors Experiences Can Inspire Action Against Anti-Semitic Hatred Today: A Case Study on Canada.
“Showing these perspectives of Holocaust survivors provides crucial insights into the impact of genocides. Understanding these stories of genocides is important to human resilience and educating future generations.”
—Teagan
Screenshot from Teagan’s documentary
Teachers, encourage your students with a passion for history, social justice, archival studies, information sciences, or museum studies to explore the opportunity to be mentored by VHEC education or archival staff. This program is ideal for those interested in pursuing a Capstone 12 project on a Holocaust-related topic. For more information, contact the education team at education@vhec.org.
