Freeport Schools

Holocaust and civil rights lessons at J.W. Dodd Middle School

Dodd Students inspired to donate

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As the conclusion to their lessons on the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement the eighth grade students at Dodd Middle School were visited by Holocaust survivor and motivational speaker, Sami Steigmann, and former Freeport teacher, Mireille Taub, a Holocaust refugee.

During the presentation, Mr. Steigmann and Ms. Taub shared how the positive impact of one individual changes the lives of others. Mr. Steigmann also expressed to students the importance of tolerance and how essential it is to stand up against injustice and prejudice in our society.

Mireille Taub, former Freeport teacher, told her story of escaping as a refugee on the last train to leave Paris before the Nazi occupation. She also spoke about her late husband and how he survived during the Holocaust through the kindness of strangers.

At the end of the presentation, the students who were so inspired by their learning during their study of the Holocaust and Civil Rights Movement, decided to collect money for a donation to Mr. Steigmann’s Peace and Tolerance Education Fund and plan on continuing their philanthropic efforts with further donations to a variety of human rights organizations.