Smith had known little about the Holocaust, but a survivor who spoke at the teachers program inspired him. He knew he wanted to have his students – and their parents – hear what he’d heard, and wanted actual survivors to come speak to them. Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl and Elie Wiesel’s Night became part of the new Holocaust education curriculum. Students watched “Schindler’s List” and learned about Judaism; they heard and saw things they hadn’t heard or seen before.
Six years after its inception, the program now involves seventh and eighth graders and has joined the regular school curriculum. Demand is great and students are chosen based on an essay contest. David Smith and co-teacher Sandra Roberts traveled to Germany last March to tour the concentration camps and speak in 17 schools in the Berlin area.
“Paper Clips” is about many things. It’s about the Holocaust, about America, about individuals, about the community, about education. If “Holocaust” is a tough word, so is “education.” Education has no easily recognizable parameters, it subsumes so much, it comes in so many forms at all stages of life. We almost gloss over the word when we hear it. We respect its importance, we know what it means, but we don’t always know where to begin.
“Lesson” is easier. It’s something we can address, put a face on, even comment on, picture, participate in during one sitting. Maybe it’s many lessons that make up education. And maybe sometimes an entire education can be found in one lesson. “Paper Clips” tells that story.
(Editor’s Note: “Paper Clips” is being shown through this week at the following venues: The Oceanside Theater, Oceanside, NY; Cedar Lane Cinemas, Teaneck, NJ; Avalon Theater, Washington, DC; Coolidge Corner Theater, Boston, MA; West Newton Theater, West Newton, MA; Music Hall, Beverly Hills, CA.)