SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Oct. 31, 2023) – Chaparral High School hosts a traveling exhibit of the Northern Arizona University-based Martin-Springer Institute this week. The exhibit, “Through the Eyes of Youth: Life and Death in Będzin Ghetto” tells the stories of seven Jewish children from the Polish city of Będzin, before, during and after World War II’s Holocaust.

On display in the lobby of the Chaparral Auditorium, “Through the Eyes of Youth: Life and Death in Będzin Ghetto” is open to the public on November 1-2 at 6:30 p.m. On November 1, visitors will hear from the Institute’s director, Professor Bjorn Krondorfer, who will relate the harrowing story of Holocaust survivor Doris Martin, who was 12 years old when Nazis forces invaded her hometown. The Institute is named after the one-time Flagstaff resident, coupled with the anglicized version of her birth name, Szpringer. Martin passed away last year in California at the age of 95.

On November 2, SUSD parent Adena Bernstein Astrowsky, author of Living Among the Dead, will be the exhibit’s special guest. Astrowsky, the granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors, will speak about her grandmother’s experiences during that time in history and how the stories she grew up hearing are tools that are relevant today.

The exhibit consists of 24 panels centered around a contextualized timeline of events that coincide with the Holocaust and World War II. Northern Arizona University students constructed the exhibit, which has visited Poland, South Africa, New York and many parts of Arizona. In addition to the public events at Chaparral this week, the exhibit is proving to be a valuable resource for SUSD middle and high school educators. State law requires that students receive instruction regarding the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice during their school years, once in either 7th or 8th grade, and then again in high school. The Institute spent last week training student volunteers from Chaparral’s Holocaust/Genocide Studies class and National Honor Society to serve as exhibit tour guides for middle school and high school field trips.

Longtime SUSD educator and Holocaust/Genocide Studies teacher Sandy Flayton says the field trip schedule filled up quickly when her fellow teachers learned about the opportunity.

“Students are able to connect through history with the stories of these seven young people from Będzin and come to learn that they were not much different than they are – they played with their siblings, they celebrated holidays, they sang and they studied,” explains Flayton.

“Through this exhibit, we, as viewers, are taken on a journey that doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending,” she adds, “yet we share their stories in the hope that the youth of today will pay forward the lessons of courage and resilience of the Będzin children.”

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About the Scottsdale Unified School District With more than 21,000 students in 30 schools, the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) has been a premier choice for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 public education for 127 years. Located northeast of metropolitan Phoenix, the District serves the educational needs of students and families in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Tempe and Scottsdale. A highly experienced, professionally certified teaching staff fosters a diverse and rigorous educational environment that engages all students in world-class, future-focused learning. Offering gifted learning, special education, career and technical education, and a variety of athletics, arts and enrichment programs and clubs, SUSD provides the rich environment today’s students need to explore their interests, develop important social skills and grow into tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, visit www.susd.org and follow along on social media: Facebook: @ScottsdaleUSD, Twitter: @ScottsdaleUSD, Instagram: @ScottsdaleUnifiedSD, LinkedIn and YouTube.