Stephen Shooster I taught Social Studies at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD), in Park- land, FL for almost 2 decades. In 2014, I was part of a team of teachers who felt it was imperative to bring Holocaust Studies to public education, so we created an academic elective for juniors and seniors at our school. Our principal agreed to put it on the course selection card for the coming school year. As a part of our curriculum, we used The Horse Adjutant – A Boy’s Life in the Holocaust. This book touched my heart, as many Holocaust stories do, and I knew the students would be interested to read about a man who experienced the worst of humanity, yet continued to try to make the world a better place. Once I learned about the survivor, Leon Schagrin, I got in touch with him. This connection grew into a warm and close friendship with him and his wife. He had a lovely wife, Betty Sternlicht Schagrin (may her memory be a blessing) who survived the war due to the kindness of Oscar Schindler. I visited them often in their home in Sunrise, Florida, and Leon agreed to come speak to the students in my History class each semester. Each time he came to our school, he spoke candidly to the students about his mi- raculous survival during a time when the Nazis wanted to destroy European Jewry. The students respect and adore Leon and know how important his message is, for once you hear a witness, you become a witness and it is their responsibility to pass on Leon’s story when he no longer could. Hate and Antisemitism does not just impact those it directly touches – it impacts us all. Denying the Holocaust is an expression of Antisemitism and listening to primary sources such as Leon, brings live history into the classroom. February 14, 2018, a former student of MSD High School ambushed our class- room with an AR-15 the day we were discussing how to combat hate. Two amazing students, Helena Ramsay & Nicholas Dworet, were killed inside room 1214 that day – in front of us all. Helena, Nick, and 15 other beautiful souls were murdered at our school because someone chose hate. For that reason, Leon continues to spread the message that all hatred is evil. Leon has been and continues to be an inspiration to many generations and we are collectively responsible to make sure humanity will never forget The Holocaust.
Ivy Levin Schemis, Teacher
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