2017-04-29 Sat

Students at the Foxboro Regional Charter School are in the process of collecting 11-million cancelled world stamps, one for every victim of the Nazis’ genocidal attacks, including the Shoah’s six million Jewish victims. The project is called Holocaust Stamps Project.

Boston’s Jewish Community Relations Council awarded two teachers from the school during its annual Yom HaShoah Holocaust commemoration recently. Local survivors along with diplomats from Israel and Germany spoke at the event that took place inside Faneuil Hall.

Holocaust-related collages touching upon topics like the “kinder transport rescue of Jewish children are being created using 9.2-million stamps since 2011. Israeli and American Hanukkah stamps were used to form an Israeli flag in a “Peace” collage. European stamps were used to create the partisan camp of the Bielski brothers in “The Forest that Saved Lives.” Red “Love” stamps were used to create the Danish flag in a collage about the rescue of Jews in Denmark. Stamps of Marc Chagall’s famous windows were cut to depict a synagogue on fire.

The program is a great way to educate students about the Holocaust. World history is being used to teach kids about tolerance, acceptance, and respect for differences. Shoah education talks about the struggle against bullying apart from learning about other cultures through their stamps.

Envelopes with cancelled stamps are sent by schools in Israel, Australia and Europe. A resident of Massachusetts donated 10,000 envelops. Some Holocaust survivors and people from their next generations have sent stamps for each of their lost family members. Churches and synagogues have also donated hundreds of stamps.