Gesher Honoring Survivors
Gesher: Honoring Survivors by Building Our Jewish Future April 7-8, 2021
Our Two Day Virtual Conference
In response to the cancellation of this year’s March of the Living, a group of leaders from Milken Community School, International March of the Living, Builders of Jewish Education-Los Angeles, and Holocaust Museum Los Angeles, in consultation with Dr. Michael Berenbaum, have come together to fashion a virtual two day Conference on April 7 and 8 (Yom HaShoah) for Jewish Day School seniors in California, the US, and across the world.
Our Goals
Starting with some of the primary themes of the March of the Living, we set out to build an interactive digital March of the Living experience on Zoom whose goals are to:
-
Create meaningful educational and personal interactions between survivors and Jewish high school seniors.
-
Strengthen Jewish peoplehood through rich interactions between Jewish high school students locally, nationally, and globally.
-
Guided by educators, scholars, and clergy, enable Jewish high school seniors to actively engage with their people’s past, wrestle with their present, and shape their responsibility to the Jewish future.
-
Create resources and collaborative possibilities for future generations of Jewish high school seniors.
Our Program
Day 1 Overview (April 7, 9:30 AM - 3:45 PM PST)
Focuses on the past, beginning with a virtual tour (narrative) of Auschwitz-Birkenau, followed by two intimate group interactions with survivors. The day will be punctuated by processing sessions and student interaction.
Day 2 Overview (April 8, 9:15 AM - 3:30 PM PST)
Follows a conference model and transitions from the past to the present and future. The opening program addresses the intergenerational imperatives of the Shoah led by keynote scholar, Professor Michael Berenbaum and a panel of day school alumni. Students will be able to choose from a large menu of sessions focusing on Jewish culture, theology, medical ethics, and contemporary and future implications of the Shoah. Finally, throughout the conference, students will unpack their learning, take on a variety of facilitation roles, and construct a closing Yom HaShoah ceremony.
Special thank you to our partners:
Thank you to the schools and organizations who have partnered with us to make this event possible.
Participating Schools:
-
Milken Community School (Los Angeles)
-
De Toledo High School (Los Angeles)
-
Gann Academy (Boston)
-
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy (Philadelphia)
-
Panama (Albert Einstein Institute/Magen David Academy/Hebrew Academy/Isaac Rabin School)
-
Institute of Sociology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow (Poland)
-
Weber School (Atlanta)
-
Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School
Programming Partners:
-
International March of the Living
-
BJE LA
-
Holocaust Museum LA
At Milken Community School, we think education is more than what you know. Our School, founded on Jewish values, is about who our children can become and how they can help others become who they might be. Because the world our children will create tomorrow is born in the School we build today, our mission is to educate our children so they can surpass us.
Non-discrimination Policy: Milken Community School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, athletic, and other school-administered programs.
Saperstein Middle School Campus
Upper School Campus
Copyright © 2024 Milken Community School