First-person stories of the Holocaust teach lifelong lessons
By Kathryn Coulibaly
In a darkened auditorium at Egg Harbor Township’s Fernwood Middle School, Jeff Zeiger stands in front of approximately 150 silent middle school students. He is there to tell them the story of how one man saved his family during the Holocaust.
Zeiger is the son of Jewish Holocaust survivor Shelley Zeiger who was six years old when the Nazis marched into Zborov, a little village of 10,000 people in what was then Poland. About half of Zborov’s residents were Jewish.
For the next 45 minutes, Zeiger tells his family’s miraculous story of resilience, survival and help from an unexpected source. He is following in a family tradition that originated with his father. After emigrating to the United States, settling first in Newark and later in Moorestown, Shelley would visit schools and tell his family’s story.
“My father felt it was his mission,” Zeiger says. “I think that over the years, my father spoke to tens of thousands of children. Now, I’m telling the story to children as well as adults.”
Zeiger is part of a speaker series coordinated by the Esther Robb Holocaust Museum and Goodwin Education Center in Cherry Hill. He conducts 15 to 20 visits a year.
Following Zeiger’s presentation, the students are invited to ask him questions. It is clear that the students are moved by the story, although it is still almost impossible to comprehend the magnitude of the loss. They ask practical questions about the family’s survival and what it was like for them during the Holocaust. They have been listening closely and are eager to learn more. After the question-and-answer period, many students approach Zeiger for a hug or to shake his hand.
Zeiger’s presentation is well-honed over the years he has been doing it, and he has three clear takeaways for the students.
“One, do not make fun of someone because they are different,” Zeiger says. “Two, if you do good in your life, good will come back to you. And three, do not underestimate what one person can do. Because of one person’s actions, 70 people are alive today, descended from the six people who were protected.”
Life-lessons for students
Zeiger connects his family’s story with things students are facing today. While combating anti-Semitism will always be a central mission of his work and the work of the Esther Robb Holocaust Museum and Goodwin Education Center, he also uses his family’s story to talk about bullying.
“When I’m speaking to an audience of students, I can look out and see which kids are being bullied and which are doing the bullying,” Jeff says. “My family’s story ties into what they’re dealing with today.”
Fernwood Middle School’s teachers and staff appreciate the impact of Jeff’s family’s story on their students.
“Mr. Zeiger’s presentation to the eighth-grade students at Fernwood was not only touching and very emotional, but it was inspiring to hear about his family’s resolve and will to live,” says Scott McAlister, a social studies teacher at the school. “Our students left the presentation with valuable life-lessons, learned from the strength and resilience of Mr. Zeiger’s family. My hope is that the students recognize their own strengths and tenacity and use Mr. Zeiger’s story as inspiration on their journey through life.”
Zeiger is very proud that New Jersey was the first state in the United States to mandate Holocaust education. In fact, Zeiger’s father served on the original commission. Zeiger encourages educators to reach out to local Holocaust museums and centers across the state to enhance how they teach the Holocaust.
Approximately 140,000 Holocaust survivors settled in the United States after World War II, many of them in the New York/New Jersey area. Their descendants have picked up the task of talking about their family’s experiences.
“We need to continue to tell our stories and educate people,” Zeiger says.
Kathryn Coulibaly is the associate editor of the NJEA Review and provides content and support to njea.org. She can be reached at kcoulibaly@njea.org.