B'nai B'rith International, panel discussion
"Holocaust Education in Action"
and
film screening "PAPER CLIPS "
The Department of Public Information, together with B'nai B'rith International and UNESCO organized a panel discussion on the afternoon of 28 January, before the annual ceremony, that highlighted the importance of Holocaust education.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, "it is not enough to remember, honour and grieve for the dead. Society must foster in its children a sense of responsibility, so that they can build societies that protect and promote the rights of all citizens".
To help carry out this mission, Eric Falt, Director, Outreach Division/UNDPI, moderated a panel with Daniel S. Mariaschin, executive vice president of B'nai B'rith International, and director of the BBI Center for Human Rights and Public Policy (CHRPP); Sandra Roberts, Director/Teacher of the Paper Clips Holocaust Project, Whitwell Middle School, Tennesee; Katie Easterly, a student who participated in the project; and Hélène-Marie Gosselin, Director, of the UNESCO New York Office.
Introduction remarks by Eric Falt, Director of the Outreach Division, DPI
The film, "PAPER CLIPS" is the moving and inspiring documentary that captures how students at the Whitwell Middle School, responded to lessons about the Holocaust-with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. Despite the fact that they had previously been unaware of and unfamiliar with the Holocaust, their dedication was absolute. Their plan was simple but profound. The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with 11 million paper clips (representing 6 million Jews and 5 million gypsies, homosexuals and other victims of the Holocaust) which stands permanently in their schoolyard, is an unforgettable lesson of how a committed group of children and educators can change the world one classroom at a time.