I am working with Hillel and the Center for Performing Arts to promote the show Hitler's Daughter, coming to campus March 17, 2013 at 2pm in Eisenhower Auditorium. I am putting together a display case in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. The case will include information about the play, responses from students, and handmade butterflies. I am asking students around campus to think about the question: Are we responsible for the actions of our parents? Hitler's Daughter explore this question when students waiting for a bus start telling stories and one imagines what life would have been like for the fictitious daughter of Hitler. It may seem like a straightforward questions, but there are many possibilities to consider. Maybe the answer is no--like if our parents get in trouble for something and go to jail, we don't go to jail for them. But maybe at a nursing home, if they start acting up, we are responsible for talking to them and dealing with them if the problems don't subside. Our parents take care of us--most of the time supporting us monetarily during college. Are we responsible for doing the same when our parents retire? Students can email responses to [email protected] with Hitler's Daughter in the subject line by Wednesday, February 15. 

Butterflies have become associated with children during the Holocaust as a result of the poem "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" written by a child during the Holocaust in the Terezin Concentration Camp. Because this is a children's play, elementary school-aged students at the local synagogue are making butterflies out of coffee filters, water colors, and clothespins to include in the display. After the show, the butterflies will be sent to the Houston Holocaust Museum to be included in their display of 1.5 million butterflies, commemorating the loss of all 1.5 million children during the Holocaust. For more information about the butterfly project, click here

For more information about the play, see below: 

Hitler's Daughter
Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 2pm in Eisenhower Auditorium 

Based on a novel by Jackie French and performed by Monkey Baa, a theatre for young people, Hitler' Daughter tells the story of four children - Mark, Ben, Anna, and Tracey. As the friends wait for the school bus, Anna tells the imagined tale of Heidi, daughter of the most hated man in history. The play switches between Nazi Germany and contemporary Australia as Mark becomes engrossed in the story. Could Heidi have stopped the atrocities of war, genocide, and hate her father waged? Would Mark have acted differently in Heidi's place? This intriguing play poses powerful questions about a frightening period in history and forces us to examine moral issues in relation to society's fears and prejudices. Based in Sydney, Australia, Monkey Baa (as in monkey bar pronounced by an Aussie) has achieved critical acclaim and enjoys an international reputation for producing quality theatre programs for young audiences. (http://www.cpa.psu.edu/events/hitler.html) 

For an 8-minute trailer of the play, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4dgs-mNAo

In his blog this week, Steven reflected on his class meeting. The class was divided into four groups to look at essays with the task of critically evaluating their writing style. His group used an oral approach--each member discussing their opinions of the essays written, according to Steven, "out of necessity and without the passion of the convinced behind their creation." While he was upset that his group didn't begin to plan their presentations until the last few minutes of the discussion time, he feels that his group worked well together. I assume that this activity was to get the class started on their policy paper. I'm curious to learn more about what their topic will be and how this class fares at writing such a document with so many people. 
Felix, this week, complained about the lack of common sense and worldliness of typical students at Penn State. He recounted several examples of students not taking the time to think about what they are saying. And I understand his frustration--asking an Australian if they use the Euro could be seen as unintelligent. However, I think we should all be alloted our stupid comments every once and a while. We sometimes say things we don't mean--or don't realize how silly the questions sounds until its out in the open. And yes, being at a university like Penn State, we should be smart enough to think about what we say before we say it. However, no one is perfect. Maybe Felix has just been around these people at the wrong time. I understand that it can be very annoying and frustrating, but please do not judge everyone one the actions of a few people. I really don't think that people lack as much common sense or knowledge that Felix claims, but I can understand how these incidents build up and can become frustrating. 

This winter break, in between episodes of TV and sleeping til 12, I applied to grad school. In the end I sent in four applications for Masters programs in the field of Jewish education. Three of the four schools are in New York, with the last one in Los Angeles. They range in length from two to three years, some with time in Israel, others with summer class requirements. My top choice is a three year program, the first year in Israel, the last two in New York. I went to visit this school for an open house in October and absolutely loved the place--the people, the classes, the program, the location--all of it is awesome. I'm not sure which of the remaining three ranks second, mostly because this school outranks them all by a lot. I guess it comes down to funding--which schools can I actually afford to go to. And that's my next project--applying for funding and fellowships. With my sister at Bucknell, I am on my own financially, my parents can't afford to support both of us, as much as my mother refuses to admit it. So mixed with reading assignments and thesis chapters, my life will be filled with essays and short answers about why I want to be a Jewish educator. Wish me luck!