Holocaust Survivor Zooms with JCSD Students

Earlier in the year, the secondary literacy team agreed upon texts that will be studied in grades 6-8, and Marion Blumenthal's memoir Four Perfect Pebbles was chosen as a nonfiction pick for the 8th graders. Ms. Cavalier read the book when she was in middle school and enjoyed it. When asked about her reading experience, Cavalier shared, “It especially stuck out in my mind because Marion came to my middle school to deliver a talk about her experience surviving the Holocaust. Her story really stuck with me.”

As Ms. Cavalier was helping plan lessons for the Four Perfect Pebbles unit, she reached out to Marion to see if she was still hosting speaking events with students. Marion reported that she was no longer traveling out of her home state of New York, but that she would be happy to host a Zoom. Interestingly, she shared that many of the speaking events she has been invited to have been, like Cavalier, former students who read her work while they were in school. She has truly had an impact on many generations now.

She is especially passionate about ensuring that as many students attend her talks as possible, since there are very few Holocaust survivors left. As she has pointed out, this is the last generation of students that will be able to hear Holocaust survivors share their stories directly.

During the Zoom, Marion told her story to the audience, relaying the details of what she experienced during the Holocaust. She painted a vivid picture of what it was like living in the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, noting the lack of food and filthy conditions. She also discussed the inspiration for her memoir, Four Perfect Pebbles, which was based on a game she developed in Bergen-Belsen at the age of nine. Every day, she would search the camp for four pebbles to represent her, her brother, her father, and her mother. In Marion's young mind, she believed that if she could find four pebbles every day, that every family member would make it out of the camp alive. At the conclusion of World War II, in 1945, all four members of her family did, in fact, make it out of the camp alive.

Marion then relayed to the audience her experience with coming to America, learning a new language, and assimilating to a new culture. Her message to students was one of hope and perseverance. Marion repeatedly advised students to be compassionate and kind to one another, and how her story sheds light on this important message. Marion also made time for several student questions. Students asked various questions, ranging from how she felt upon returning to Bergen-Belsen nearly 50 years later, and whether or not it was difficult to relive her experiences while writing the book.

Marion's book will be available for purchase, and she will be personally signing each book that is sent to Janesville. A sign-up link will be made available soon to purchase a copy.

(Blog information provided by Ms. Cavalier)