The Freedom Writers Diary - Erin Gruwell [37]
A couple of days later when the bottom of the jug was filled with coins and a few loose dollar bills, he asked, “Ms. Gruwell, what happens if we raise all this money and Zlata doesn’t come?” I’m used to them putting me on the spot, but I wasn’t prepared for this one. Trying to be fast on my feet, I said, “If she doesn’t come, we can buy more books or go on another field trip. But if she does come, your lives will never be the same!”
And then it hit me…I better find her and at least send her the letters. If she doesn’t respond, at least we tried.
So I spent the entire Christmas vacation trying to track Zlata down. I had no idea where to start. All I knew was that she was a refugee somewhere in Europe.
I started at the Museum of Tolerance. They thought she might be living in France. Then Renee Firestone told me she thought she had moved to Ireland. To play it safe, I sent a package to both countries. Then I put my concierge skills to the test. I got quotes on airline tickets, solicited local restaurants to donate gift certificates, and my hotel even offered two rooms if she accepted our invitation. With all the provisions in order, all we had to do now was wait.
While anxiously awaiting a response from Zlata, a wonderful woman named Gerda Seifer, a Holocaust survivor from Poland, called to tell me that Miep Gies was actually coming to California to help commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Anne Frank’s diary. Miep was Otto Frank’s secretary and the person responsible for finding Anne’s diary. She’s eighty-seven years old and will be flying in from Amsterdam. The director of the event happened to live near me. We met and hit it off. He offered to change Miep’s itinerary so she could come meet my students. Wow! Meeting a legend like Miep is more than we could have ever hoped for.
To help prepare the students for Miep’s visit, I asked Gerda to share her experience during WWII with the students. Like Anne, who spent her adolescence hiding in the secret annex, Gerda sat perched on a wooden box in a windowless cellar. Not only will the students be able to empathize with Gerda’s feelings of persecution and loss, but I hope they’ll be able to understand how Anne Frank must have felt.
Diary 41
Dear Diary,
When we began our lesson about the importance of racial tolerance, I had no idea that that lesson would be a life-altering experience. After reading Night and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, I guess you could say I knew about the Holocaust, but I was not prepared for what I was going to be faced with today.
Ms. Gruwell had been talking for a long time about bringing in a Holocaust survivor named Gerda Seifer. Well today, we actually met her. Like Anne, she is Jewish and was born in Poland and she didn’t meet Hitler’s standards of purity either. During World War II, Gerda’s parents made her go into hiding with a Catholic family. She was forced to live in a basement where she could barely stand up. She could hear the SS soldiers marching outside, waiting for their next victim. She is the only survivor in her family. Luckily, she was spared from a camp.
Just as Anne was trapped, Gerda was trapped. Neither Gerda nor Anne could lead normal teenage lives. They lost their innocence due to uncontrollable circumstances. Whenever they ventured outdoors they faced the possibility of being captured by the Gestapo. Jewish people had to wear a yellow Star of David, which distinguished them from others. They were forced to attend special schools isolated from other children. They were ridiculed and tormented throughout the war.
Unfortunately, I know exactly what it feels like to not be able to go outside, not because of the Gestapo, but because of gangs. When I walk outside, I constantly glance from side to side watching those standing around me. Since I feel out of place, I often put on a façade so that I fit in. Maybe if I look and act like I belong they will not confront me.