West Essex High School Donates Money to Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys; Foundation to Send West Essex Students on Trip to Washington D.C.

The West Essex High School Dress in Denim Fundraiser resulted in $425 of donations from faculty and staff for the Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys, which takes students on all-expense paid trips to Washington D.C. In gratitude, the foundation endowed four seats for the trip to West Essex students. A committee of West Essex High School teachers and guidance counselors selected the following students for the trip: (from left to right) junior Michael Colavita of Roseland, senior Ben Gersten of Roseland, junior Maria Pomponio of North Caldwell and junior Jacqueline Schwartz of Fairfield. They will leave on their trip Dec. 11, 2011 and then attend a leadership seminar at the end of the year.

Information:

The Mission of Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys:

· Increase awareness and understanding of the Holocaust in the hearts and minds of students and teachers of all ages, races, and religions

· Explore the choices made by perpetrators, bystanders or rescuers during the Holocaust and use these examples to teach students that they have opportunities to take a stand and make a difference in their community

· Confront Holocaust denial and honor the memory of the six million Jews and the millions of others who lost their lives in the Holocaust

· Foster a spirit of activism within students to move beyond what they learned on the trip by finding ways to get involved in humanitarian issues and taking a stand for freedom and justice

What is a Remembrance Journey?

Remembrance Journeys are all-expense paid, supervised one-day bus trips for middle and high school students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Accompanying the students are educators and Holocaust survivors who share their stories and teach the importance of standing up to discrimination, prejudice and bigotry.

Since 1996, Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys has hosted over 90 trips with 10 survivors, and taken approximately 4,000 students and 330 educators to Washington, DC to share in this powerful emotional and transformative experience.

Youth Leadership Seminars

At the end of the academic year, the visit to the museum culminates in the Youth Leadership Seminar where Remembrance Journey alumni gather at the Holocaust Council of Greater MetroWest. Here, innovative workshops help students internalize the message of embracing diversity by not being bystanders to hatred, intolerance and bullying.