Carrying Our Stories Across The Generations

On February 25, authors Natalie Iglewicz and Joy Wolfe Ensor met with a group of eighth-graders and their parents from Ann Arbor Temple Beth Emeth’s religious school. They opened their presentation with stories and photos of their parents’ lives in Poland before World War II, and followed up with inviting students to compare and contrast their lives to those of young Jews who lived during that time. Shifting to the wartime era, Natalie read excerpts from her chapter that highlighted lessons she learned from her parents about acts of lovingkindness. Joy’s excerpts centered on how her mother and aunt's creative writing kept their humanity alive during unimaginable suffering, imparting lessons for future generations. The authors also shared treasured personal family artifacts from this time period - ceremonial Kiddush cups that Natalie’s father managed to carry with him throughout the war, and fragments of original papers on which Joy’s mother and aunt wrote poetry in the camps. The students approached these objects with a level of respect and tenderness that was deeply moving. The authors concluded by encouraging the students to use their shared stories to explore how they can show up for others and themselves when encountering challenges in their own lives. Below are the photos of the artifacts shared and a couple of responses that students expressed in thank you notes to the presenters.