Neither Yesterdays Nor Tomorrows

by George Elbaum

This was my 6^th time speaking at the University of San Francisco (USF), a Jesuit Catholic university.  Founded in 1855, USF was the city’s first university, and it is the third oldest institution for higher learning in California.  Its student body numbers approximately 10,600, with 62% undergraduates and 38% postgraduates, and its faculty numbers approximately 1,200, of which 41% are full-time and 59% are part-time, or adjunct.  Religious and spiritual organizations on campus include the Muslim Student Union, the USF chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the USF Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

My talk at USF this year was for 20 students in an undergraduate course entitled Holocaust and Genocide, which is one of the selective subjects in USF’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies.  It was organized by its teacher Dr. Alexis Herr, with my involvement initiated by Sadie Simon and finalized by Patrick Dunne of the JFCS Holocaust Center.

by George J Elbaum

Lowell High School is a public magnet school which opened in 1856 and is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi.  With enrollment of approximately 2,600 students (50% Asian, 18% White, 14% Hispanic, 8% Filipino, and 10% all other), the Lowell admission process is competitive and based on a combination of standardized test scores, GPA, a writing sample, and extracurricular activities.  As a result, its students’ test scores have historically ranked among the Top 10 Public Schools in California, making it the 2nd highest ranking school in California with over 2,000 students, and #85 in National Rankings. 

In addition to its stellar academic performance, Lowell has one of the most active student bodies in San Francisco, with over 84 academic organizations, athletic teams and student interest clubs.  In athletics, Lowell has competitive teams in 17 sports plus cheerleading, and these teams claim more city championships than any other public high school in San Francisco.

My talk to 500 9^th and 10^th grade students was my 2^nd time speaking at Lowell, and it was again organized by Modern World History teacher Erin Hanlon-Young.  It was arranged by JFCS Holocaust Center’s Director Morgan Blum Schneider and Office Manager Patrick Dunne.

by George J Elbaum

Summit Charter High School is a public charter school in grades K-12 with enrollment of 2,309 students and high diversity: Hispanic 77%, White 16%, two or more races 3%, Asian or Pacific Islander 2%, Native American 1%, and all other 1%.  Of the total, 18% of the students are learning English and 62% are from low-income families.

Despite these difficult demographics, the school’s GreatSchools Summary Ratings are approximately California state  average in several categories, including graduation rate,  Test Scores, Academic Progress, College Readiness and Equity.  

My presentation to 50 10^th grade students was organized by teacher Alberto Gasca, whose World History students were in the middle of the Holocaust unit and will have covered the history of antisemitism in Europe, and the different stages of the Holocaust (antisemitism, Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, the ghettos, camps, and liberation) by the time of my presentation.  The students are also reading Night by Elie Wiesel in their English class.

Arrangements for my talk were made by Lexi Jason, Education Program Manager at Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity

by George J Elbaum

Front Range Community College (FRCC) has a total enrollment exceeding 19,000 students of wide diversity: 62% are White, 23% are Latino, and 15% are of several other races or multi-racial.  Of the total, approximately 4900 students attend the Boulder County Campus at Longmont, and although many enroll right from high school, 24 is the median age because more than 40% of students are 26 years old or older.

My talk was organized by Mary Ann Grim of the History and Women & Gender Studies Faculty, as part of her Western Civilization class which includes 3 weeks on the Holocaust, reading of Survival in Auschwitz, etc.  My initial contact with Mary Ann Grim resulted in my  first presentation to her students on November 11, 2011

After my talk Mary Ann Grim sent me FRCC’s statement on its philosophy of inclusion, which I appreciate for its calm and even-handed description and feel it worthwhile to include below.

“We recognize that the success of students and employees grows from a culture of inclusivity, equity, and excellence. We believe that our diversity, which includes a full spectrum of attributes, backgrounds, cultures, identities, abilities, beliefs, and ideas, enriches lives in the entire college community. We know that including and respecting our diverse experiences and values in all of our interactions at the college is the best way to promote student success. We also recognize that our differences do not have equal impact or consequences, and we acknowledge that our differences affect how we behave, how we are treated, and how we interact.”

In January 2024 Mary Ann Grim contacted me again about making a presentation to her current students.  We agreed on April 2, 2024, and she arranged for a very creative flyer (below) made to advertise the presentation.

by George J Elbaum

Somerville High School (https://somerville.k12.ma.us/schools/somerville-high-school)  has an enrollment of 1215 students in grades 9-12 and very diverse demographics: Hispanic 46%, White 35%, Black 11%, Asian or Pacific Islander 6%, two or more races 2%, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander <1%, Native American <1%, and 73% of its students from low-income families. 

More unusual, however, is the organization of its student body: the students are divided into 4 Communities designed to meet students’ academic and social needs and also language limitations through a comprehensive, collaborative team approach.  For example, I learned that the audience to my talk of approximately 350 9^th graders had a Portuguese translator and a Spanish translator for 2 smaller groups whose English was limited. The 4 Communities, each with a Multilingual School Counselor, are:

“ELM Community: Newcomers in the Multilingual Learner Education Program

BEACON Community: Students with last names starting with A-F 

HIGHLAND Community: Students with last names starting with G-N

BROADWAY Community: Students with last names starting with O-Z”

The school counseling staff is dedicated to practicing preventative, proactive counseling which includes discussing academic and adolescent issues, pre-college planning, career exploration, and post high school planning. Communication is key; we encourage family members to call their student’s Community Team with questions.

My presentation to the 350 9^th graders was organized by Dave diPietro and ??? and my participation therein was arranged by Jeff Smith of Facing History and Ourselves.

by George J Elbaum

North Creek High School has an enrollment of 1700 students in grades 9 – 12 with high diversity: 39.2% White, 39.0% Asian, 10.4% Hispanic, 7.8% two or more races, 2.5% Black, 0.4% all other, and 14% of students are economically disadvantaged.  It is ranked 20th within Washington by US News & World Report, as its students’ participation in Advanced Placement® program is a commendable 57%.

 The school sits on a 60+ acre campus featuring numerous wetlands and a state-of-the-art facility for student learning, unlike most high schools in the United States.  The buildings are heated and cooled by geo-thermal energy, and solar power provides additional energy.  Each building was designed so that almost every space could be used for teaching and learning.  Classrooms have movable glass walls and the hallways have furniture that invites small group work.  There are also designated rooms called Collaboration Cubes where students can work together and learn in a comfortable space outside the classroom. 

The students study the Holocaust within a larger unit on historical causes and manifestations of war. This includes the Pyramid of Hate, scapegoating, the rise of the Nazis, a more general lesson about perpetrators and bystanders in genocide, and a lesson on Jewish cultural and spiritual resistance.  Today’s event was organized by Social Studies teacher Deanna Armstrong and my participation was arranged by Lexi Jason, Education Program Manager of Holocaust Center for Humanity

by George J Elbaum

California High School (CalHigh), San Ramon, CA, has current enrollment of
2814 students in grades 9 thru 12, of which 64% are minority and 6% are
economically disadvantaged.  CalHigh’s academic record is excellent: while
attaining a 4-year graduation rate of 98%, its US News/Best High Schools Rankings are #1311 Nationally, #205 in California, and #37 in San Francisco Bay area.  This is reflected by student scores of 76% English vs. 47% state average, 52% Math vs. 35% state average, and 50% Science vs. 30% state average – an enviable record.  CalHigh’s demographics are White 38%, Asian 40%, Hispanic 12%, two or more races 8%, and Black 2%.

My presentation was to 55 students in 10^th grade English and History class of teacher Christina Haaverson (English Literature and Positive Psychology) who’ve been teaching World History between the two World Wars.  The students’ Holocaust and genocide history curriculum included the following readings, major topics and events: Maus 1 & 2, Joseph Mengele, Auschwitz history, World War II overview, Pyramid of Hate and stages of genocide.  Teacher Haaverson organized the event while my participation was initiated by Sadie Simon of the JFCS Holocaust Center and concluded by its Office Manager Patrick Dunne.

by George J Elbaum

La Scuola is a private (PreK – 8) educational enterprise based on the concept that the world has changed, and it’s time for education to catch up.  At La Scuola we believe that to shape the future, we must believe that children are innately intelligent and curious. The provocative questions they ask ignite a process of arriving at answers with peers and teachers, not an opportunity for us to tell them the answer.

Founded in 2002, La Scuola International School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) and Italian language immersion school with a mission to inspire brave learners to shape the future. Every day, it is the students at La Scuola who ask provocative questions and lead their learning across languages, across cultures, and across subjects.  The IB program began as an academically challenging program for high school students and has evolved into a curriculum framework used by over 5,000 schools worldwide in PreK-12 that encourages critical and creative thinking, expression of knowledge in various modalities, global perspective, and foreign language acquisition. IB students are known for having a growth mindset, developing strong cognitive skills, high executive function, and are generally psyched to learn new things and solve problems

 To begin the process, children do not need to speak Italian!  We aim for our students to develop being bilingual. By learning English and Italian simultaneously, they develop better attention, decision making, and planning skills than monolingual students.  Italian also  benefits students by imparting an increased appreciation for art, music, food, and history. Speaking another language develops a child’s empathy and connectivity to the world.

My presentation to 50 6th, 7^th and 8^th grade students was organized by Jake Kaplove, Middle School Dean of Students, and my participation was arranged by Morgan Blum Schneider, Director, JFCS Holocaust Center, with support by the Center’s volunteer Jim McGarry.

by George J Elbaum

“The New School of San Francisco is a tuition-free public school designed in partnership with local educators, parents, and community leaders. Inquiry, equity, and personalized learning are at the heart of how our students learn, grow, and thrive. We are currently serving Kindergarten through 8th grade.  Our mission is to demonstrate a holistic 21st century education that instills a love of learning now and prepares students and families for success in the future.  We believe in “Inquiry for All”—all children should go to school where they can drive their learning, ask big questions, and take risks. This belief fueled the creation of our school in 2015.”

Arrangements for my presentation were initiated by Sadie Simon of JFCS Holocaust Center and concluded by Patrick Dunne, its Office Manager.  The 3/6/2024 event at the school’s campus was organized by teacher Claudia Martinez (see 3rd photo below).

Notes from Students

A few weeks after my talk at The New School I received several dozen Thank You notes, and as is our custom, my wife Mimi and I read these together after our dinner, excerpted statements that most resonated with us, and these excerpts are shown below.

• You are so inspirational and so much of your story resonated and connected – especially about your mother.
• Thank you for your important message about the Golden Rule and being against all hate and prejudice.
• I loved your message about the Golden Rule, and holding an optimistic personal perspective even in the face of how awful humanity can be.
• You help us restore identity and humanity to everyone who can’t share their story.
• I learned about people who would risk their lives to provide Jews with a roof and food.
• I am sad that you weren’t able to live the childhood you wanted to live.
• May your woes be little and your happiness be many.
• I truly mean that your story is life-changing. It made me take a deep dive into history, and knowing your story I can understand how the wrath of the Holocaust impacts today’s society.
• Your story was a moving experience that helped open doors to what anti-Semitism is & how it happens.
• Your story impacted me in such a strong way that I won’t take a moment for granted.
• I appreciate your openness and the wisdom you brought to our class.
• Your story taught me so much & made me wonder more.