JFR Honors First Graduates Of Goldsmith Student Scholars Holocaust Education Program

The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) has recognized 477 middle and high school students from the Palm Beach County School District as the first recipients of the prestigious Goldsmith Student Scholars of the Holocaust recognition. The District served as the pilot partner for the online curriculum—“How Was It Possible? A Holocaust Curriculum For and By Teachers™”—which aims to bring comprehensive Holocaust education to classrooms nationwide. Now that the pilot group has completed the program, the JFR plans to make it available nationwide.

Students from 12 schools across the district participated in the program and received their Goldsmith Student Scholars of the Holocaust recognition on April 27 during a special ceremony hosted by inSIGHT Through Education, a JFR Center of Excellence that facilitated the partnership between the Foundation and the district. The event was attended by Holocaust survivors living in Palm Beach County, inSIGHT Through Education Board Members, JFR Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl, Holocaust educators, students and their families, and district administrators.

The JFR’s “How Was It Possible? A Holocaust Curriculum For and By Teachers™” is an online course based on “How Was It Possible? A Holocaust Reader” written by Professor Peter Hayes. The curriculum includes 16 lessons with accompanying quizzes and was developed with input from JFR Alfred Lerner Fellows, teachers trained in JFR’s Holocaust education programs, including educators from the Palm Beach County School District.

The program is offered free of charge to teachers and students nationwide and is supported by a robust online learning management system. Students who complete all 16 lessons and score 80 percent or higher on the quizzes receive recognition as Goldsmith Student Scholars of the Holocaust. Educators who complete the program enter the JFR’s prestigious Goldsmith Fellowship.

The program is named in honor of and in memory of members of JFR’s Secretary, Treasurer and Legal Counsel Mark Goldsmith’s family. Prior to the Holocaust, the family lived in Germany and their story is just one example of what happened to many Jewish families living in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. Many members of Goldsmith’s family were murdered by the Germans; some survived the camps; several were rescued; one crossed the Alps from Vichy France into Switzerland; two participated in the Danish boat lift to Sweden; one was in charge of British agents infiltrating Germany to assassinate high-ranking Nazis, and many managed to emigrate from Germany to the United States or to then British Mandate controlled Palestine (now Israel).

“Through their work and commitment to understanding the moral and historical complexities of the Holocaust, these students have shown tremendous academic achievement and moral insight,” said JFR Executive Vice President Stanlee Stahl. “We are proud to honor them as Goldsmith Student Scholars and are especially grateful to the Palm Beach County School District for being our partner in launching this transformative program.”

The School District of Palm Beach County was uniquely positioned to pilot this initiative thanks to its deep partnership with the JFR. In partnership with inSIGHT Through Education, the district sends one of the largest annual contingents to each of the JFR’s acclaimed seminars for Holocaust educators, including the Summer Institute for Teachers, its European Seminar, and its Advanced Seminars. Many of these educators, all JFR Alfred Lerner Fellows, participated in the formation of the “How Was It Possible?” curriculum before it was brought to their district.

The students who participated in the April 27 event participated in the program through their schools, including Boca Raton Community High School, Boca Raton Middle School, Carver Middle School, Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School, Independence Middle School, John I. Leonard High School, Omni Middle School, Polo Park Middle School, Spanish River Community High School, Wellington Community High School, West Boynton Middle School and Palm Beach Central High School.

The JFR continues its work of providing monthly financial assistance to 78 aged and needy Righteous Gentiles living in 10 countries. Since its founding, the JFR has provided more than $46 million to aged and needy rescuers. Its Holocaust teacher education program has become a standard for teaching the history of the Holocaust and educating teachers and students about the significance of the Righteous as moral and ethical exemplars. For more information, visit JFR.org. n