Do young people today find meaning in the Holocaust?

This question prompted a writing project that brought heartfelt responses from students from across North America and abroad. Their voices – in the form of letters, essays, poems, and art – provide amazing answers and a hope for a more peaceful and tolerant future.

“We can prevent history from repeating itself by never forgetting our past.”
– Jocelyn Toupin, grade 7

“The Holocaust was a very dark period of history that should not and cannot be forgotten. If it is, then something like bullying, which can be seen by some as harmless, if left unchecked, could lead to similar disasters.”
– Rebecca Howie, grade 8

“I am writing you this letter now, not because my teacher, mother, friends, or family told me to, but because my heart did.”
– from a letter written to Anne Frank’s father Otto Frank, by Rachel Meyerovitz, grade 8

“When they are gone, we are their voice”
– Ori Berman, grade 8


Kathy Kacer travels widely talking about the importance of remembering our history. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, she has written many award-winning books about the Holocaust, including To Hope and Back: The Journey of the St. Louis, The Diary of Laura’s Twin, Hiding Edith, and The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser. Kathy Kacer created this project with educators Karen Kasny, Alan Gotlib, Susan Gordin, and Shawntelle Nesbitt in order to prove that young people do, indeed, feel a meaningful connection to the Holocaust.

Listen to an interview with Kathy Kacer about We Are Their Voice with Anne Dublin for The Book of Life Podcast