Holocaust Survivors' Legacy: Teaching Kids Early to Combat Hate

As the last generation of Holocaust survivors approaches the end of their lives, a critical question emerges about preserving memory in an era of misinformation and denial. Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor, who endured Auschwitz as a child, dedicated her final years to advocating for earlier Holocaust education, arguing that waiting until middle school allows prejudice to form first. Her memoir for young readers, "I Will Protect You: A True Story of Twins Who Survived Auschwitz," co-written with author Danica Davidson, has become a bestseller and educational tool, meeting children at an age when moral formation is still underway. The book details how Eva and her twin sister Miriam survived Dr. Mengele's experiments and Auschwitz's horrors, yet grew to champion education and forgiveness.

Davidson collaborated closely with Kor, conducting extensive interviews to craft a narrative accessible to upper elementary and middle school students, aiming not to simplify history but to make it legible. Tragically, Kor passed away shortly after the manuscript sold, but her work endures as antisemitic incidents surge and polls reveal alarming gaps in young Americans' Holocaust knowledge. Davidson continues this vital mission, having also worked with another survivor and education advocate, Eva Schloss, on a graphic novel titled "What Lies Hidden," which highlights paintings by Schloss's brother Heinz made while in hiding. Schloss, known posthumously as Anne Frank's stepsister but a formidable advocate in her own right, recently passed away, underscoring the urgency of capturing survivors' stories.

In her Holocaust Remembrance Day op-ed "Working with survivors to tell their stories, before it's too late" at the Jewish News Syndicate, Davidson emphasizes that both Kor and Schloss understood these projects as crucial components of Holocaust education. The framework matters because, as Davidson notes in her article "Holocaust Education Should Start in Elementary School" at Aish, such education teaches critical thinking, the patterns of human behavior, and empathy—lessons essential for navigating the real world. With survivors' voices fading, books like "I Will Protect You" offer an entry point to history as lived reality, helping children recognize dehumanization and resist hate. Readers can get the book here to share with young people, ensuring memory is taught and empathy practiced before it's too late.