Participants.
Finland, Ahmon Koulu, Siilinjarvi
Teachers Markus Koivisto, Silja Karja
Students,Maija Heikkinen, Ronja Vainikainen, Juho Juvonen
Italy, ISS Leardi, Cassale Monferrato
Teachers Paola Perotto, Laura Catalano
Students Martina Ombra, Fabiana Bonfante, Marco Vaccarone, Marco Albieri, Simone Carazzo
Lithuania, Vilniaus S.Aleichemo ORT Gimnazija, Vilnius
TeachersTeresa Segalienė,Raimonda Sadauskienė, Jurgita Palikevičiūtė
Students Atija Aliukonytė, Eimantė Lapinskaitė, Laima Ieva Čalkauskaitė
Aleksa Jasiulionytė, Akvilė Jokubauskytė
Poland, Gimnazjum nr 9 im. Jana Pawla II, Sosnowiec
Teachers Mariola Baszyńska, Joanna Janas-Sajdak
Students Karolina Kotwicka, Wiktoria Karbowniczek, Marlena Żejmo
Małgorzata Kowalska
Slovakia, Gymnazium Angely Merici, Trnava
Teachers Jozef Čirák, Sabina Blažová
Students Sára Magdaléna Petrášková, Lucia Sláviková, Andrej Horník, Matúš Miklovič
Spain IES Tirant lo Blanc, Elche
Teachers, Darío Martínez Montesinos, María Salud García, María Belén Delgado Chaparro, Carmen García Alarcón
Students Andrea Martín Carrillo, Ana Soler Aroca, Laura Martínez Fernández,
Ana Cortijo Sempere, Paula Montero Nájera, Laura Gallardo Perea, Paula Mirete Piñol, Rocio Moyano Vilanueva, María Leiva Guijosa, Jesús Martínez Laó
Carlos Torres Huertas
T
urkey Ankara, Metod Koleji
Teachers Nurhan Adabağ, Çağla Sezgün
Students Göksu Özkan, Canses Demirsoy, Yağmur Yildirim, Alkın Taşdemir, Tarik Bera Ercan
Greece 28th Thessaloniki Lyceum, Thessaloniki
Teachers
Lefaki Lia, Doiranli Anna, Demiri Despina, Papageorgiou George, Chatziiokeimidis Anestis, Mintziori Magda, Lithoxoidou Anastasia, Efstratiadou Anna, Souvatzoglou Sofia, Spanos Zaharias,Fardis Miltos, Efraimidou Melina, Sokoutis Dimitris, Spiridou Niki, Glaraki Theodora
38 students.
Sunday
The arrivals of the foreign delegations started as early as Sunday morning. The first to arrive were from Turkey, while the Pols and Slovaks followed. The Italian, Spanish and Lithuanian teams came at noon and the Finnish team landed late at night. Greek students together with their families were there to pick up the students that they were about to accommodate. The Greek students had in several cases prepared banners in the guests’ native language to help break the ice.
Monday
The foreign teachers arrived at the school escorted by Mrs M. Mintziori. Mr Spanos together with students had prepared a visual happening in the yard. It was about Thessaloniki’s history through eight pictures:
A traditional welcome,
the name of the city,
Egnatia street,
Aristotle, the wise man
Saint Demetrius, the protector
The White Tower, the symbol of the city:
the history of the city in fast forward and
the nazi solution: the humiliation of the Jews by the Nazis .
After that, the teachers and students went into the main hall of the school where the formal welcoming ceremony was to take place. The welcoming and a short briefing on the project’s progress by the Greek coordinator Mrs T. Glaraki was followed by the welcoming of the school’s Headmaster Mr D. Sokoutis and the representative of Parents Association Mrs F. Likissa. In the end, the coordinator of the project, Mr Dario Martinez Montesinos talked about the contribution both of ancient and modern Greece to mankind.
The presentation of Mrs Victoria Benouzilio’s story followed. Victoria Benouzilio, a Jewish two year old baby, saw the Nazis deport her family to Auschwitz. She was saved thanks to a Christian family who raised her as their own child. The students presented her story in a dramatized manner under the direction of Mr Spanos, while hypertitles were projected in order to help the foreign audience understand. Mrs Benouzilio was present as well and despite her being deeply touched she talked about the need for new generations to cultivate an open-minded mentality and tolerance towards difference through education.
After the presentation, a break took place where the guests were offered drinks and sweets that the mothers of the students and teachers prepared goodheartedly.
When the break ended, the students divided into two groups took part in acquaintance games with Mr Spanos and Mrs Glaraki, while the teachers attended a presentation concerning the Greek educational system prepared by Mrs A. Lithoxoidou. The last five minutes of the presentation were a funny video about the pressure of the exams that Greek students of the last grades usually face.
Afterwards, both students and teachers watched the Centropa film “A book store in six chapters”. The film presents the history of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki from the beginning to its extermination during WW II through the course of the historic book store of the Molho family.
Finally, the morning session ended with a very interesting presentation that the 2nd grade students E.Marinou and N. Mavrokefalidis had prepared. Through the presentation, the students showed not only Thessaloniki’s major monuments, but also intriguing aspects of the city’s modern life.
Next the Greek members of the project treated the guests with a meal at a local restaurant.
The evening session was devoted to the students’ presentations. During this meeting the presentations’ subjects for the seven countries were the Holocaust through art, while the Italian team’s subject was the presentation of Yad Vashem’s “ The Righteous among the Nations”. Most of the presentations were the result of hard work and the quality was impressive.
Students’ presentations
Finland, Holocaust in arts -literature
The Finnish students’ presentation about Holocaust in literature consisted of three parts. The students had read many significant books about Holocaust and discussed them to reach the main ideas and the most important impressions for themselves. A video ”Share an experience – share a book” was filmed basing on these impressions. After sharing these books the students wrote short prose poems basing on their own lives and empathising those peoples’ lives who suffered the Holocaust on camps or hiding places. These poems were read by the students to show the big contrast between young peoples’ lives now and then.
Italy, Righteous among the Nations.
Italian students had to present an event concerning a Righteous among the nations, according to the agreement taken in Lithuania, by which each partner had a different topic to work on. The students’ work was about an event occurred in Casale Monferrato in 1942-43. A woman, Giuseppina Gusmano, helped 15 Jewish children who had escaped from an orphanage in Turin, hiding them in her house. She saved them from deportation and in 2001 she was awarded the title of Righteous among the Nations by the Jewish community in Jerusalem.The students played a short performance of the event and showed a video about it. They exhibited 15 posters created by another group of students who represented graphically the meaning of being a Righteous. Then, in another video, each student explained the meaning of his/her poster and what he/she had decided to represent.
Lithuania, Holocaust in Theatre
The presentation is about the depiction of Holocaust in various world theaters.
It speaks about the “Small City hall” and puppet theaters in Vilnius Ghetto. And also about the most popular performances on Holocaust in project partner countries.
“The Diary of Anne Frank”, “Way to Heaven”, “Rabinka”, Auschwitz Oratorio”, ‘The Girl of Dachau” are mentioned as one of the most popular plays, staged in present days.
Poland, Holocaust in painting
The presentation consists of three different, fictitious situations presenting stories and feelings of people living during the II WW. The students personated former Auschwitz-Birkenau prisoners and showed their fate after what they had been through in the camp. The aim of the presentation is to show how, according to the students, the Holocaust is perceived by different people and how paintings and artistic skills that can be seen in the presentation helped people who survived the Holocaust by enabling them to express their feelings. It also depicts how paintings created during the Holocaust helped to document the tragedy so that it could never be repeated.
Slovakia, Musik and the Holocaust
The Slovak presentation started with the video of Matúš Miklovič playing The Theme from Schindler's List by John Williams on the piano.
It was followed by a contemporary dance performed by Sara Magdaléna Petrášková and Lucia Sláviková trying to express the fight between life and death during the Holocaust.
Andrej Horník talked about artists and composers in Theresienstadt, the presentation also included parts of their best works.
Finally, we have watched and listened to Matúš Miklovič performing Sergei Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C-sharp minor.
Spain, Art and the Holocaust
Spanish students had to deal with the topic "" in their presentation. As they wanted to go one step further, they decided to show a performance and a video rather than doing the typical oral presentation that we are all so used to.
In the performance, they tried to make the audience reflect about the state of drowsiness in which European population was while the conditions for the holocaust were being cooked (symbolised by a fence). They finish with an allegoric nuclear bomb exploding which obliterates it all and the survivors removing the fence, in an attempt to still give hope some chance.
Turkey, Cinema and the Holocaust
Turkish team worked on the films concerning the Holocaust such as the Pianist, Life is beautiful, the Diary of Anne Frank, The boy in the stripped pyjamas and so on.
Greece, Holocaust in poetry
Greek team dealt with the question of how the extreme cruel experience of the Holocaust was expressed throutgth poetry. Aiming at making easier the perception of poems there was an attempt to visualize the images and the emotions of the poems. Excerpts of the following poems were used M. Klein, Greeting on This Day, Dan Pagis , Draft of a Reparations Agreement Nelly Sachs, O the chimneys Mary Elizabeth Frye Do not stand at my grave and weep Carl Sandburg, Grass Miklós Radnóti, Postcard 4 Michael R. Burch, Epitaph for a Child of the Nakba, Auschwitz Rose Martin Niemöller, First they came for the Socialists Yala Helen Korwin, The Little Boy with His Hands Up Wislawa Szymborska, Could Have Kampanelis Iakovos, How beautiful she is, my love Primo Levi , The survivor Barbara Sonek, Holocaust Geoffrey Hill, September Song Pavel Friedmann, The Butterfly Haim Gouri, Heritage.
Tuesday
The day began with a visit at the city’s town hall. After a short tour of the city’s town hall, the guests were handed city’s promotional material. Finally, the deputy mayor of Tourism, National Relations and E-Governing, Mr S. Pegkas briefly addressed the guests in the conference room of the city council.
A tour to the major monuments of the city followed, guided by Mrs F.Likisa and Mrs M.Kesoglou. The first stop was the Trigoniou Tower. There, our guests had the chance both to learn about the fortification system of Thessaloniki through the ages and to admire the city view. They also tasted Thessaloniki’s most “famous” snack: Thessaloniki’s “koulouri” bagel.
The next stop was at the Rotunda where restoration works were just finished and everyone can admire the monument’s exquisite mosaics. The tour continued at places of Jewish interest. Via Aristotelous Square and a short walk through the Mondiano market we visited the Jewish Synagogue Yant Lezikaron. It is worth mentioning that most of the Greek students were visiting the worship place from a different religion from their own for the first time. The tour ended with a visit at the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki.
Then, the students returned to the school and their families, while the teachers remained at the city center. After lunch they went to the History Center of Thessaloniki, where the presentation of the 2nd unit was held.
Wednesday
The day’s activities started by attending the lecture of E.Hekimoglou at the ceremony hall of the Old Building of Philosophy Department. Mr Hekimoglou, doctor of Economic history and curator of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki gave a lecture entitled: “Holocaust and Education : The future of memory”.
Then, we proceeded to visit the monuments of the holocaust at Hortiates. The high school’s Headmaster Mr Neiloudis was waiting for us at the historic stone–built high school of Hortiates. Two tours took place at the same time. The English teacher Mrs A. Tsari was in charge of the first tour for the guest students and teachers. The second tour was guided by the high schools students and addressed the Greek students and teachers. The participants stated that they were shocked by the crimes that the Nazis committed at the expense of Hortiate’s population just before Greece was about to be liberated.
On the way back to the school, we stopped at Hortiates’ famous aqueduct. There, thanks to the sunny weather our guests had the opportunity to climb up the hill until they reached the aqueduct’s edge. From up there, they could admire the beautiful water supply system of Thessaloniki as well as enjoy the spring nature in fool bloom.
Then, the students returned to school and the families. The teachers had lunch at a local restaurant of Ano Poli and after strolling around the curved roads of the area they ended up at the hotel. The project’s coordinators met up at the hotel’s conference room and discussed organization issues about April’s meeting in Slovakia.
Thursday
We set off to Vergina early in the morning. With our two guides we visited the famous museum of royal tombs of Aigai and admired the famous exhibits.
Then, we continued our trip to the next destination, Veroia. We visited the city’s town hall where the deputy mayor of Tourism and Life Quality Mr Likostratis welcomed us. After a short greeting, Mr Likostratis provided the guests with a luxury edition book on the past and present of the city of Veroia.
Then, we strolled around the Jewish district of Veroia, we walked by the river and ended up at a local restaurant where we had lunch, both teachers and students.
Friday
That day was dedicated to school and to Greek school life. First of all, the foreign teachers and students, divided in five groups, took part in classes organized specifically for the occasion. To be specific the classes were:
A. Human rights (Teachers L. Lefaki and M. Mintziori. That class ended up with a happening in the school yard, where every participant let go balloons filled with helium. Each balloon had a human right written on it.)
B. Democracy (Teacher Z. Spanos)
C. Kavafis’ “Ithaki” (Teacher D.Demiri)
D. Teaching Computers (Teacher M.Efremidou)
E. CSI of 28th High School (Teachers M.Fardi, S.Souvatzoglou and A.Hatziioakimidis
Then, the Spanish students made a presentation entitled “Greece means for me…”, that made Greek students emotional. In addition, Greek students were surprised to listen to their Spanish peers explaining why they have chosen the not such attractive subject of ancient Greek language.
Afterwards, the students took part in activities divided in groups
1. Art workshop during which the students wrote down or painted in a common banner.
2 The truth or dare questions game organised by students of the 2nd grade together with Mrs Mintziori.
Next, the students came out in the yard where they tried their first Greek traditional dances steps guided by Mrs Spiridou. Meanwhile, the teachers had a project management meeting. They discussed the organizing of the film based on suggestions that the director D.Mourtzopoulos made. Lastly, our guests filled in quality polls concerning the meeting and got their participation certificates.
The morning session ended in the yard with a presentation of traditional Greek dances performed by the school’s traditional dances team. Shortly, the presentation turned into a big feast with most of the foreign teachers and students testing their skills at Greek dances.
Greek students and teachers came back to the school early in the afternoon in order to prepare the farewell party. A sound system and disco lights were installed for the party. When the guests arrived everything was ready. The students had prepared a special program which contained: A video with moments of the past days, an Armenian dance performed by a student of Armenian origin from the school, a performance of a Spanish song that had been translated into Greek, a Latin dance performed by the team of 8 school girls and a hip hop dance performed by a group of 5 girls. The last minute entry of Carlos, a student from Spain who sang a song, was really entertaining as well. After the program ended, students and professors danced together and enjoyed traditional Greek food until late in the night.
Saturday
The farewell day! Although the students were not together that much time, it was enough to make them emotional as tears showed on their faces. Also the promise for the next meeting was made and many wishes expressed. When you have your entire life in front of you, nothing seems impossible!
