Don't Blindly Follow The Leader

Yorktown Middle School teacher Amy Carney vividly recalls her visit to Purdue University to hear Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan describe her concentration camp experiences. The auditorium was full, camera crews were on hand, and Lazan delivered a talk so riveting that it completely "captured the interest of the standing-room-only audience." Carney was determined to find a way to bring Lazan to Delaware County.

"I had read Marion's book, ‘Four Perfect Pebbles,' and had sent her an e-mail message to tell her how much I appreciated her story," says Carney. Lazan, who lives in New York City, responded with a telephone call, and a long-distance friendship developed. In one of their many conversations Carney asked Lazan if she would consider a second trip to Indiana, this time to Muncie. "Absolutely," was the enthusiastic reply.

The timing was perfect. Carney approached the programming staff at Minnetrista Cultural Center and made her case: Lazan had spent time in the same concentration camp as Anne Frank; all middle school students in Indiana are required to read "The Diary of Anne Frank" as part of the seventh-grade curriculum; and Minnetrista was planning to mount an Anne Frank exhibit.

"We were looking for a way to build several educational activities around the Anne Frank exhibit," explains Tim Gaddie, associate director of programs at Minnetrista. "We always try to offer learning experiences beyond what the teachers are doing in the classroom. To have someone like Marion, an actual Holocaust survivor, give a first-person account was an incredible opportunity."    

A $10,950 grant from the Community Foundation to Minnetrista made it happen. The visit was scheduled for two weeks in December and included not only twice-daily presentations at Minnetrista, but also programs at Ball State University, Parker City, Yorktown and venues in Indianapolis. Almost 2,000 students came to Minnetrista to hear Lazan speak, walk through the exhibit, see a video and participate in activities designed to help them understand how people choose national leaders and how propaganda can manipulate voters' minds. Lazan's messages ranged from "Don't blindly follow the leader" to "be generous, kind and loving to all people regardless of race or ethnicity or cultural background." Her story was rooted in history but it had application to today.

"Marion took questions from students throughout her presentations," says Gaddie. "She didn't shy away from the emotional aspects of the Holocaust but her overall message was one of hope. She was very good at reading members of the audience and responding to their interests. Each session lasted an hour but there was very little fidgeting. Not once did a teacher have to discipline a student."

Lazan's audience at Yorktown Middle School was equally attentive. The students had read "Four Perfect Pebbles" as well as "The Diary of Anne Frank" and they saw connections between Lazan's story and their own. These links became evident in the essays they wrote after hearing the presentations. One student of Russian origin noted that "It made me feel proud of my people when Marion said that the Russians helped liberate her camp." Another student who had wrestled with personal problems wrote that he felt encouraged because "Marion survived something worse than I could ever imagine."

To increase the impact of Lazan's visit, the Minnetrista staff arranged for area teachers to pre-order copies of "Four Perfect Pebbles" for distribution in their classes. The teachers who took advantage of this service submitted the names of the students whom they were bringing to Lazan's presentations. Gaddie says that Lazan stayed up each night personalizing dozens of books-"with more than just an autograph"-for the students she would meet the next day. This warm touch characterized all of her interactions with her young audiences.

"We were dealing with adolescents, many of whom are not very willing to show emotion, but they came up after the presentations and wanted to give Marion a hug," says Gaddie. "What came across to her audience was that she's not just a historical figure; she could be anyone's grandma."