Masada’s Living Historians program

In a moving and insightful experience, Sydney’s Masada College Year 10 students had the privilege of participating in the Living Historians Program, a unique initiative offered by the College.

The program, which has been running successfully for over 25 years, provides students with a rare opportunity to connect with Holocaust Survivors, listen to their stories, conduct group interviews, conduct research, and finally, present their own renditions of these survivors’ remarkable tales through various artistic mediums including script, drama, visual presentations, artwork, and music.

This year, the program was graced by the presence of three exceptional Holocaust survivors, namely Richard Haber, Egon Sonnenschein, Mimi Wise, along with Roland Gridiger, a child of Holocaust survivors. Guided by the program’s facilitator and Masada College history teacher, Mrs. Marion Seftel, the students delved into the profound notion that each person holds a name, an identity, and an entire universe within them.  She said: “The creativity displayed by the year group resonated hugely with the survivor’s experiences in Poland, Slovenia, Czechoslovakia and France and were conveyed by the students with understanding, knowledge and empathy.”

The culmination of the students’ efforts was showcased in a special assembly where survivors and their families were present. Witnessing the personal connection established by the students with the survivors’ stories deeply moved the audience.

Ben McNeil, Masada College Year 10 student, said, “I would like to thank Egon as his help has been invaluable in understanding everything he experienced, because we are the next generation of people that have to tell the story.”

The experience also profoundly affected the survivors themselves. Egon Sonnenschein, visibly emotional, emphasised the significance of sharing these stories to prevent history from repeating itself. Mimi Wise, too, was moved and stressed the need to acknowledge the reality of the Holocaust, ensuring that its memory endures as a stark reminder for generations to come.

For the first time in the program’s history, the College captured the event in a video featuring perspectives from the students, teachers, and survivors. Mrs. Seftel highlighted the importance of documenting this experience to preserve the survivors’ firsthand accounts, ensuring that the legacy of remembrance continues.

Ultimately, the Living Historians Program leaves an indelible mark on the Year 10 students, empowering them to carry the responsibility of being witnesses to the witnesses. Armed with the candle of knowledge, they are now entrusted with enlightening the next generation, ensuring that the stories of the Holocaust survivors live on, etched in the annals of history so that such atrocities never happen again.