Through the Lens of Faith: Teaching with the Diary of Rywka Lipszyc

"Oh... I'm laughing at the entire world—I, a poor Jewish girl from the ghetto—I, who don't know what will happen to me tomorrow... I'm laughing at the entire world because I have a support, a great support: my Faith, because I believe!" — Rywka Lipszyc

Bay Area teachers are invited to join JFCS for an educator workshop exploring the Diary of Rywka Lipszyc through the Lens of Faith. Rywka, an observant Jewish girl from the Lodz ghetto, directly addresses the question of faith in her diary. This workshop is a unique opportunity for educators to come together to discuss strategies for teaching about faith and the Holocaust. The workshop will be co-led by JFCS Holocaust Center staff and Raymond O'Connor, Theology Chair at Stuart Hall High School.

About the Diary:

In 1940, the Nazis forced young Rywka Lipszyc and her family into what would become Poland's notorious Lodz ghetto. After witnessing the death of her parents and deportation of her siblings, Rywka, at age 14, began to record her thoughts in a precious diary. Rywka's diary was found in the ruins of the crematoria at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945 and kept hidden in darkness for 70 years.

Rywka's story has inspired her surviving family and students of the Holocaust around the world. Accompanied by rich background materials, the book, now published in its second edition with HarperCollins, has become an important source for Holocaust educators.

Additional information:

- All educators in the Bay Area are welcome to attend.

- A vegetarian dinner will be served.

- Teachers will:

• Receive a Teacher Curriculum Guide
• Receive a class set of the student edition of the diary
• Learn new strategies for incorporating primary sources into the classroom
• Examine the role of faith in the Holocaust and learn strategies for discussing faith with students today

The workshop will be presented in partnership with the Theology Department of Stuart Hall High School, Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco.

This workshop is made possible in part by the generous support of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and the Holocaust Memorial Education Fund of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.