Nobody Told Me - Boyd & Wilson JHGC

When teaching about the dark times in history – it is important to draw attention to those who shared their light with others. Nobody Told Me is a 30-minute documentary created in collaboration with the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, highlighting the horrific living and working conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. The story of Dr Halina Szencier-Rotstein is told through the eyes of her daughter, Wanda and her grandson, Luc, and includes interviews with historians and experts in the field, as well as archive footage of Warsaw during, and post, the war. Wanda and her siblings survived the Holocaust because their mother made the choice to sneak them out of the ghetto with help from friends and colleagues – many of whom would, later, be recognised as Righteous Among the Nations. Dr Halina voluntarily surrendered her “life ticket” and chose to accompany her patients to their deaths in Treblinka 1942. Her act of bravery and selflessness is a story that transcends time and place. This single story allows students to connect to the human impact of the Holocaust while also exploring universal themes such as choices, identity, memory, rescue, commemoration and more. The suggested lesson plan and workshop is student-led; empowering the participants to trace the narratives that connect with them and explore the themes that interest them - thus facilitating a more meaningful learning experience.