Written by Lynda Fisher, Head of Primary School

It is tradition for Year 6 students in many Jewish Day Schools around the world to complete a study of their Jewish Heritage, known as Project Heritage. For 39 years, Moriah College has upheld this cornerstone learning experience, and this year, leading into Sukkot 2024, our students delivered one of the most profound and thoughtfully crafted presentations to date.

Following on from more than seven years of learning about Israel, Chaggim, history and the traditions that have shaped the Jewish identity of our Year 6 cohort of 2024, students took a deep dive into their Jewish History with a careful analysis of the events around the Holocaust and life thereafter. By this stage of their schooling, students are armed with a strong sense of belonging and personal and communal identity which gives them a buffer of safety and security as they confront the harsh realities of the past when they visit the Sydney Jewish Museum. This security blanket is something they will most certainly need to hold on to as they navigate the inevitable challenges they will face as Jewish adults. Our students gained a wealth of knowledge about the past that shaped their current reality by reading Holocaust literature, meeting real and virtual survivors and learning about the propaganda that led to the extermination of six million Jews, including children just like themselves.  

When they interviewed their own family elders, they discovered a repeated pattern of survival, immigration, challenge and success in their personal stories of triumph and trauma.  

Unfortunately, this pattern has been replayed in their world of late, which shifted from being one that had previously seemed secure and free of antisemitism and danger, to one that isolated Jews and echoed the same voice and agitation that was heard in the lead up to the holocaust. A world in which they again could recognise the pain experienced by children, just like themselves.  

It has never been more important for our young to understand our heritage, the tragic history of persecution, alongside the unfathomable achievement and resilience of the Jewish People and the importance of our Jewish state, our Hope, the state of Israel. Our students learnt that the holocaust itself was a manifestation of the antisemitic myths and lies that had been propagated over the preceding centuries. Myths that, whilst unfounded, gained power and “credibility” in the minds of others, and created fertile ground to be leveraged by those with evil intention who wished to eliminate our Jewish family members accused of controlling government, political agendas and banking or finance. These myths still permeate the countries surrounding Israel and are leveraged by terrorist organisations to achieve their ultimate goal. Furthermore, these same messages are echoed via affiliated organisations throughout the diaspora. We see this on a weekly basis in our cities and experienced it most vividly on the steps of the Opera House. Unfortunately, it also manifests in our students’ daily lives, whether they are online, at their local shopping centre, at an interschool event, or right outside their school. At times, these primary schoolers felt like they should hide the symbols of their Jewish identity so that they could blend in, fly under the radar and feel safe and inconspicuous—not “poking the bear”, so to speak. However, their Jewish Day School provides a safe, supportive environment that is ever-vigilant against potential threats. This foundation has empowered them to stand confidently as proud young Jewish individuals, equipped with the voice and language to uphold a single, non-negotiable principle: antisemitism, in any form, must be confronted immediately. Left unchecked, even the smallest impulse of hatred can gain momentum over time, leading to catastrophic consequences.

Jewish Antisemitism most certainly did not stop when the holocaust ended. The myths still spread today, now with alarming ease, amplified by the handheld devices in everyone’s pocket. Our hyper-connected, multi-modal world enables instant message dissemination anytime, anywhere, making it easier than ever for misinformation to take hold. Through it, reality can be successfully manipulated to share dangerous biased narratives which don’t resemble the truth and increase antisemitic rhetoric. 

Our students recognise that antisemitic actions can and will happen throughout their world. They also understand that, as members of our global community, we need to take responsibility to be informed on the facts about the Jewish people, the nature of antisemitism and the need to call it out firmly, support Israel, and advocate for the global right to exist freely and safely. Instead of leaning into our fight/flight response, they have learnt to move into their thinking brain, use knowledge gained through experiences such as Project Heritage, and take smart actions that reframe or remove the danger. They know the importance of uniting their Jewish energy and of living in harmony across their own community, starting with being kind to their peers.  

In previous years, we concluded Project Heritage with the words Never Again, and a willingness to embrace the positive, regardless of tragedies in our Jewish past. However, this Project Heritage Showcase replaces Never Again, with Again and Again, and the takeaway reminder is to be courageous, to ensure you gain wisdom by learning lessons from the past, and to use this knowledge relentlessly alongside clear, well-rehearsed strategy to shape the future of a world that Jewish humans choose to live in, and more importantly can live in safely and securely.    

In embracing our heritage, we carry forward the lessons from Holocaust survivors and the recent events of October 7, honouring the remarkable achievements of our Jewish family throughout the diaspora and in Israel—an extraordinary accomplishment in its own right. This informed perspective empowers our students to shape their own safety and wellbeing, ultimately impacting outcomes in the broader world around them. Israeli thought leader and educator Zohar Raviv, insists we need to change the history of the Jews from one of “OY” which defines the Jewish People by wars and how many people died, to “JOY” which focuses on the Jewish genius, achievement and lifestyle that celebrates the best way to live life.  

Following on from their studies, the students shared three key ideas they had discovered as important to carry into teenagehood: 

Firstly, relationships with family, with friends and with our Jewish Peoplehood, are paramount and our greatest treasure—we need to love one another, value all our important people each day as if it were the last, and work together to achieve the best outcome.  

Secondly we need to keep respect and empathy for all humans as our essential value. At a global level, today’s battle is not simply a battle between Jews and terrorists, it is a battle between Western Civilisation that values human life and the right to live freely, and those who place no value on, and are sworn to end, human life.  

Finally, our brilliant mind, our all-powerful brain, is our greatest asset. We need to grow our knowledge of Judaism and Israel, and our specialist and general world knowledge, and learn as much as possible to achieve our desired outcomes. Edith Eger and Victor Frankel both stress that we learn lessons from life, from study and, most influentially, from our past, and then we make the choice, the choice of how we will respond to our experiences so that we can move forward, powerfully and positively, instead of being stuck in pain. Jewish Day Schools emerged out of the holocaust, and I burst with pride when I reflect on the way Moriah College exemplifies deep learning and a celebration of all aspects of Jewish Life whilst progressing the best possible education for our young. It is in this Jewish tailored education, and this active choice, that the secret of our success and our survival lies. A success that is not dictated by the device in the palm of our students’ hands but rather by the informed young brains that we have encountered in this Project Heritage Showcase. The choice to give our children an education that encourages them to blend in and “not poke the bear” is not an option as “the bear” needs no poking, it roams freely and makes its own plans. 

Our students continue their learning journey in high school with a sobering realisation: they need to live their future with even greater brilliance, vigilance and resilience than their predecessors because their future is not guaranteed to be free from the persecution and threats evidenced in their past.  

They have indeed learnt from the past, understand how it has culminated in our present, and are skilled to advocate for a positive, promising future. The difference is that they have to keep their guard up always, and they have to shape their world always, as the myths will replay for all time and ‘never again’ is not a guarantee. Our young people are well positioned to choose a heritage and future that embraces the continued flourishing of the Jewish People. A time when they will once again dance from the heart is within reach—it’s only a matter of time.