Holocaust

I was looking ahead in my calendar the other day and saw, in small grey letters, "Holocaust Remembrance Day" printed on April 21st. I was instantly ashamed of myself. I guess I never really knew when this day was. However, as far as I'm concerned, every day should be a remembrance of the Holocaust among other major historical events. Upon seeing this printed on my desk calendar, I instantly thought of an amazing gentleman I had the pleasure of meeting not too long ago.
I should begin by letting all two and a half of you that read this that last semester, one of my Secondary English Education courses focused on how to teach Holocaust literature to students in middle school and high school. I would be lying if I said that this course did not change my perspective on history, teaching, reading, and life altogether. In the middle of the semester, we were required to attend a workshop from 8-4 on a Saturday, to be bombarded with Holocaust information and resources for teachers. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or uninterested, but at the time, it wasn't exactly how I was looking forward to spending a Saturday. After our lunch, a small, almost frail-looking older gentleman was waiting in the conference room. He was introduced to us as Holocaust survivor, Bob Behr. As soon as Mr. Behr spoke, I realized that looks were definitely deceiving. He was not frail at all. He was quite energetic for an 86-year-old man and was very funny. The way he told his story was not how I'd expected. He did not have the room sobbing, as I would have imagined. He told everything that happened to him from more of a historical perspective, rather than how he was feeling at each and every moment. I was fascinated by his memory, in that he remembered countless dates, times, and even days of the week that certain events happened. A brief synopsis of his life (without emphasis of his time in the concentration camp) is given at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website: http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/survivoraffairs/meet/detail.php?content=behr
I do want to note that I have always been interested in the historical aspects of the Holocaust, but this particular class really made me want to look more deeply into all the events of World War II, as well as read more Holocaust literature. I also want to note that anyone who has the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., should definitely visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is something that everyone should see in their lifetime. I truly treasure the fact that I had the opportunity to visit the Museum and to hear an actual survivor speak. Both experiences are ones that I will never forget.
My favorite pieces of Holocaust literature:
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (very good for young readers)
Night by Elie Wiesel (won the Nobel Prize)
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank (the play) by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Holocaust-themed movies that I love Love LOVE:
Life is Beautiful (A++++++++)
Schindler's List
The Freedom Writers
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
...and I cannot wait to see The Reader