Remember Project Students Virtually Visit the Anne Frank House in SC

On December 13th the third cohort of the Remember Project met virtually. This year's Remember Project cohort is comprised of 23 teens from diverse backgrounds. These 23 teens represent twelve local public and private schools in the greater Charleston area. During the meeting the students were given the opportunity to discuss their experience with Dr. Deborah Lipstadt. Later, we were joined by Morgan Bailey of the Anne Frank Partnership. Read below as Julien Yates reflects on our first meeting.  

 

When I moved to Charleston this past March, my friend Julia told me about an interesting group she was involved with that is dedicated to furthering education about the Holocaust and greater awareness about genocide. Once I learned more about the Remember Project, I jumped at the opportunity to apply. After joining the cohort, I have become even more passionate about learning more and educating others about the Holocaust and educating people about the Holocaust and other genocides. I am firmly committed to helping honor those who were impacted and ensure the posterity of their stories.  

A couple of weeks ago, some members of the cohort went to Colombia to go hear a presentation by Dr. Lipsadt, a noted Holocaust historian and expert. While I was not able to go, during a breakout room in our team call, I was able to hear my fellow Remember Project teammates express their powerful impressions regarding her remarks. Their comments reflected their admiration for her serious passion about advocating for change and the importance of defending the truth about atrocities. They talked about how her passion for the subject brought home even deeper meaning, and mentioned how enlightening it was to talk about current and past events pertaining to the Holocaust. They also noted how amazing it was to see how the audience was affected by this impressive and committed woman. 

During our last meeting we got to meet Morgan Bailey, who works with the Anne Frank House in Columbia. The Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, partnered with USC to open the Anne Frank House, which is designed to further Holocaust awareness not only in South Carolina but throughout the world.Our meeting consisted of a virtual tour of Anne Frank’s hiding place, and dove into intimate details about Anne’s formative years and her life in those tiny rooms with her family,  the Van Pels, and a dentist named Fritz Pfeffer. 

I look forward to learning more and participating in what is next with the Project – this program has been such an eye opening experience for me, and I hope to be able to bring these resources to my school. 

 

*Julien Yates was selected to participate in the third cohort of the Remember Project. High school students have a rare and unique opportunity to study the Holocaust and other genocides by becoming an ambassador in their school and community through the Remember Project. For high school students looking for a meaningful and profound community service experience, this cohort is an excellent option with monthly meetings to ensure this next generation is committed to ‘Always remembering’. For more information on the Remember Program visit https://www.jewishcharleston.org/remember