JUNE 1 • 2023 | 21

N

early 200 members of the 
Wayne-Westland Community 
Schools district visited the 
Zekelman Holocaust Center on 
Wednesday, May 10, for “Creating 
A Community of Upstanders,” an 
evening of learning that included 
museum exploration and a second-
generation survivor talk. 
The event highlighted the district’s 
partnership with the Center to educate 
beyond the classroom. In addition to 
teaching students about the Holocaust, 
over the last year, Wayne Westland has 
provided trainings for teachers and 
non-teaching staff at all levels, and 
is now reaching out to parents, local 
law enforcement and businesses in the 
surrounding area.
The Center’s partnership with 

Wayne Westland illuminates a shared 
holistic approach to Holocaust 
education. 
“Kids who visit take home what 
they’ve learned to their families. 
We want to equip parents to have 
conversations with their children 
about this sensitive history,” said Ruth 
Bergman, director of education at the 
Zekelman Holocaust Center. “The 
Holocaust is the preeminent case 
study of the dangers of unchecked 
hate, and the power each individual 
has to stand up against hatred and 
intolerance.”
For educators, the partnership 
empowers students to become 
upstanders. “By instilling the values 
of compassion, courage and empathy, 
we can continue to encourage a 

generation of leaders who will create 
a positive change,” said Dr. John 
Dignan, superintendent of Wayne-
Westland Community Schools.
During the event, visitors moved 
through exhibit galleries depicting 
prewar European Jewish life, the rise 
of Nazism, the descent into war and 
the Final Solution. 
Aja Brown, a fifth grader at P.D. 
Graham Elementary School in 
Westland, had read about Anne Frank, 
and although she found some aspects 
of the exhibit “scary,” she was also 
delighted to see a tree grown from a 
sapling from the tree located outside 
Anne Frank’s hiding place window 
that is described in her diary. “When I 
saw it, it made me think it was like her 
child, like something good that she 
left behind in the world,” Aja said.
Many in attendance reflected that 
their introspection would be followed 
by action to create a more inclusive 
society. “That’s what tonight is all 
about,” said Dr. Adrienne Nathan, 
director of Community Partnerships 
and Outreach. “With this initiative, we 
are better equipped to stand up to hate 
at every level. Together, we can create 
a world in which we want to live.” 

More For Many

Wayne-Westland Community Schools takes 
part in Community Night at the Zekelman 
Holocaust Center.

GABI BURMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

COURTESY OF THE ZEKELMAN HOLOCAUST CENTER 

Dr. Adrienne 
Nathan

Aja Brown 
and her mom, 
Christal Howard

