For Educators and Students

The JFCS Holocaust Center is happy to announce exciting new opportunities for professional development! All Northern California teachers grades 6-12 are invited to these very special opportunities. This interactive training is part of the BIG READ initiative that teaches students about the Holocaust and the transformative nature of art. Enroll and attend one of these workshops, and you and your students will automatically be eligible to attend an incredible live performance in November.

Educators Receive:

• Professional development training during the fall of 2016 on using The Children of Willesden Lane to engage in classroom activities about the history of the Holocaust, moral courage, and the transformative nature of art.
• A set of classroom books of The Children of Willesden Lane.
• Attendance at a live performance with your students and other school communities from around Northern California during the second week of November, 2016 in San Francisco.

Students Receive: 

Middle and high school students from around Northern California will learn about the Holocaust through two inspirational pieces of art by Mona Golabek.

• The Children of Willesden Lane, a powerful book that tells the amazing and true story of her mother’s escape from the Holocaust. The book celebrates her eventual triumph honing and sharing the music she brought from her lost home with the community she has created in her new adopted home.
• Students will also attend a live performance of The Children of Willesden Lane, a theatrical re-imagining of Ms. Golabek’s book, allowing young audiences to hear the very music that sustained her mother and be similarly moved and transported by these works of classical music.

Thanks to generous donors, this program is offered at no cost to Northern California middle and high school teachers and their students.

Help spread the word! Download the BIG READ flyer >

Accolades

Over 7,000 students and teachers from Northern California participated in the program which included a theatrical performance of The Children of Willesden Lane, a show that has been making its way around the country with spectacular reviews.

Press

San Francisco Chronicle
“For many students, Lisa Jura’s story of change and hardship in an unfamiliar land is not unlike their own experiences.”  Read the full article >

KCBS
“You look at one person’s story and from there you can see how other people related to it.”  Listen to the story >

JWeekly
“After class, some of the students reflect on the book and its meaning. ‘What this 14-year-old went through is really crazy,’ said Christian. ‘She hasn’t lost hope. American youth, we’re so used to having everything come to us quick, we can lose hope.’”  Read the full article >

The Press Democrat
“’In terms of the timing, it just really worked out,’ said Kate McGerity a teacher at Rancho Cotate who taught the program to her 10th-grade world history students. ‘It worked as kind of a platform or a jumping off place to responding to prejudice, and the kind of hatreds we’re seeing.’” Read the full article >

The Jewish Post & Opinion
“It was an amazing accomplishment to have so many students learning important lessons from the Holocaust.”  Read the full article (begins on page 10) >

Response from Students and Teachers

“Learning about the Holocaust has never felt so personal and awe-inspiring. Thank you again for your generosity and for this memorable learning experience of the Holocaust. I enjoyed every part of this adventure.” – Student, Lowell High School, San Francisco  See more from Lowell High School >

“Thank you!  My students really enjoyed your book and live performance of The Children of Willesden Lane. My students learned to appreciate family, use music to bring people together, and to face the bad with the good.  A 7th grade student wrote, “Mona Golabeck’s piano playing was incredible – it could cast a shadow of darkness, light a path of hope, or simply leave you astonished of her incredible talent.” Thank you again. – Teacher, Britton Middle School

“THANK YOU ALL for an absolutely fantastic experience in person, history, and literature — these are the types of lessons that last a long time. – Teacher, Francisco Middle School, San Francisco

“[Lisa Jura] was independent and courageous, and had qualities that I wish to emulate. Thank you!” – Student, St. Anselm School

Community Involvement