News
New educational books for children
The International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust has published the two new educational books for children in Polish language: Czika, the Dog in the Ghetto and If the Stars Could Only Speak. The books published in Polish are subsequent works written by Batsheva Dagan, a former Auschwitz prisoner. In 2010, through the cooperation with the ICEAH, a volume of the author’s poetry was released, entitled, Blessed Be, Cursed Be: Reminiscences from “There.”
- Czika, the Dog in the Ghetto – presents a story, based on actual events that took place in one of the Ghettos within occupied Poland. The main character is Czika – a dog belonging to a five-year old boy named Michaś, who, together with is parents, wanted to protect his dog from being taken by the occupational forces.
- If the Stars Could Only Speak – in this book, the author describes her experiences from the Ghetto and Concentration Camp while the German occupation in Poland during World War II. In short episodes, the author shows moments of love and worry about loved ones in a world filled with evil. The book focuses on her mother and children, who managed to survive, overcoming the sadness of separation and lived to see freedom. Only the stars were the witnesses of their secrets…
These books, are recommendations for parents and teachers who want to bring their children and students to this tragic chapter of history which was the Holocaust. Both of these books also include lesson plans created by Małgorzata Rusiłowicz, that allow teachers to take full advantage of working with the publications in the classroom.
The publication of the books has been made possible thanks to the financial support by the Foundation for the Remembrance of Victims of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp in Oświęcim as well as the Israeli Embassy in Poland. Both items are available at the on-line bookstore of the Auschwitz Memorial.
Batsheva Dagan (born in 1925 in Łódź as Izabella Rubinstein), writer and poet, is an individual who has survived the Holocaust. Following the war, she and her husband adopted the surname Dagan and immigrated to Israel where she lives to this day. She began her professional career as a pre-school teacher and, following her university studies she worked as a psychologist and lectured at a teacher’s college. She has developed psychological and educational methods to help share knowledge with children and young people about the Shoah, and is the author of several publications that are used in Holocaust education, such as: What Happened in the Shoah? A Story in Rhyme for Children Who Wish to Know as well as Today the Siren Cried for Me.
Małgorzata Rusiłowicz is a Polish language teacher at the Polish Community Primary School in Białystok, works with the Jewish Historical Institute as well as the Center for Citizenship Education in Warsaw, and is a lecturer at the Polish Language and Cultural School in Saint Petersburg, Russia. For 12 years she has undertaken the challenge of educating about the Holocaust at a primary school. She is the author of several educational projects dealing with multiculturalism and human rights for teachers, educators, lecturers, students, children and young people, as well as individuals interested in cultures.
