Sussex Academy students visit Holocaust Memorial Museum

Sussex Academy eighth-graders visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., March 25, thanks to the generosity of Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli and a substantial grant from the Jewish Federation of Delaware.

Reading teacher Alyssa Graham organized the trip in coordination with the reading of the 1960 memoir “Night” by Elie Wiesel.

“This trip will help to deepen our understanding [of the memoir] by providing authentic artifacts, survivor testimonies and historical context that bring the events of the book to life,” Graham said. “Seeing the exhibits firsthand will help us connect emotionally to Wiesel’s experiences and gain a deeper appreciation of the historical realities he describes.”

Visiting the museum had a profound impact on students. Wesley Knudsen said the class was able to witness what unchecked hatred toward the innocent can extend to, and Izik Soto said violence can only lead to more hatred.

Too many suffered for no good reason, said John Paul Yablonski. Corey Trench agreed. “While I was standing in the cattle car, I felt fear for the people who were once taken to the concentration camps on that car, and realized how my fear was nothing compared to what they were feeling at the time,” he said.  

Ava Allfather said everyone should leave the museum with a new perspective on life. Kylie Doughty said the overall mood was really sad.

“The pain people went through is hard to imagine,” she said.

“The Nazis took people and twisted them into inhuman things, both physically and in the eyes of the public,” said Carter St. Amand.

“Terrible things can happen when we stereotype and have intolerance for people who are different from us,” said Ella Marquez.

The trip originated after Warren Rosenfeld, owner of Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli, expressed an interest in sending as many Delaware students as possible to visit the museum. Rosenfeld connected with local districts to offer a donation to make this happen, and paid for entrance into the museum. The Jewish Federation of Delaware also formed a relationship with Sussex Academy through a grant opportunity, including generous funding that was used for charter bus transportation, lunch for all students, books and other resources for student use.