To the Editor:

On February 19, Ms. Laura Boughton’s Global Studies classes from South Panola High School boarded a school bus for a six-hour ride to Atlanta. Our destination was the Breman Museum of Jewish Heritage. We were there to learn about the murder of a Jewish man in Atlanta that occurred 80 years ago.

The point was to understand that elements of the Holocaust existed right here in the South, not just Nazi Germany.

We also had the opportunity to listen to a Holocaust survivor, Andre Kessler, who told us about how he hid out in his apartment for 18 months and had to carry papers identifying him as a Jew during the war.

Mr. Kessler gave us this message: “I am a witness. Now that you’ve listened to me, you are all witnesses.” What this means is that each person in that room now has a responsibility. I

t is our task to make good choices, as Ms. Boughton says, because our choices affect much more than just ourselves. During the Holocaust, many people chose not to help or get involved. They chose to believe the Nazis without thinking. We saw the outcome of those choices at the Breman, in the sickening and sad evidence of the concentration camps.

While Atlanta was beautiful and the trip was fun, I had a lot to think about when it was over. I’d like to ask you to think, too – about your choices, and what you can do the next time you see something happening that shouldn’t.

Mr. Kessler and our tour guides summarized it in these words: Don’t be a bystander.

Sincerely,

Aevan Gibson

Senior SPHS