2007 Photos & Details

Sunday & Monday

Sequoia restaurant in the heart of Georgetown!

Dr. Michael Berenbaum with teacher Heather Starks.

A sampling of the trunk of materials given to each teacher.

At the Washington Nationals baseball game!

Washington Nationals star Jason Simontacchi takes a moment to pose with teachers Kathy Hays and Heather Starks.

Holocaust survivor Sam Harris and his wife Dede with student winners Bill Babeaux (left) and Andrew Kendoll.

Students formed friendships early on.

On Sunday, July 15, the top 10 essayists (students), teachers and a group of Holocaust survivors arrived in Washington, D.C. to participate in the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation's 13th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Project Awards Week. The week began with a group orientation on Sunday afternoon followed by the first education program - a presentation by Holocaust Survivor Peter Feigl. Following the presentation, the group enjoyed a "getting to know you" dinner at Sequoia Restaurant in Georgetown.

On Monday, July 16, the students participated in "Youth Act" Human Rights Training, an interactive training session hosted by Street Law, while teachers and survivors attended a teacher training session hosted by Dr. Michael Berenbaum, the foremost scholar on Holocaust studies in the U.S. Berenbaum is the former president of Steven Spielberg's SHOAH Foundation and has authored 16 books.

Following Monday's training sessions, the students, teachers and survivors attended a Washington Nationals baseball game at RFK Stadium. The group met Nationals star Jason Simontacchi. Special thanks to Holland & Knight's Jeff Stern for arranging this special event.

The following students and teachers were participants this year:

Students

William (Bill) Babeaux, a recent graduate of Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio.
Katerina Belkin, a recent graduate of North High School in Sioux City, Iowa.
Ashley Eberhart, an incoming junior at The Culver Academies from Downers Grove, Illinois.
Jeremy Feigenbaum, a recent graduate of Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Keith, a recent graduate of New Vista High School in Boulder, Colorado.
Andrew Kendoll, a recent graduate of McKay High School in Salem, Oregon.
Xinyi (Alice) Li, an incoming junior at Duluth High School in Duluth, Georgia.
Oren Mitzner, a recent graduate of Miami Killian Senior High School in Miami, Florida.
Bianca Rosen Siegel, an incoming senior at Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida.
Mark Salomon, a recent graduate of New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
Siobhan Roland, incoming senior at Gibbs Senior High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. Siobhan joined as the "Negro Spiritual" Scholarship Foundation participant. She was the vocal talent for the dinner on Thursday evening.

Teachers

Tom Franta from New Brighton, Minnesota.
Kathy Hays from Cherokee, Alabama.
Nikki Lavergne from Denham Springs, Louisiana.
Gary Scott from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Kathryn Smith from Tampa, Florida.
Heather Starks from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Survivor Biographies

Peter Feigl with students Siobhan Roland (left) and Elizabeth Keith. (Photo by Teri Slotkin)

Peter Feigl (78) Born in Berlin, Germany. He resides in Palm City, Florida. Peter moved with his parents to Vienna in 1937 where his parents, non-practicing Jews, had him baptized in the Catholic church. After the annexation of Austria in March 1938, the Feigl family fled to Brussels until the German invasion of Belgium in 1940. Peter fled with his mother to France and they eventually settled in the town of Auch where they were joined by Peter's father in the spring of 1941. His parents were arrested in August 1942 by the French Vichy government authorities in Auch during the round-up of Jews in France, and were sent to Nazi Auschwitz death camp where they were killed on Sept. 6, 1942. Peter was helped by the Quakers who arranged for him to be sheltered in the mountain village of Le Chambon sur Lignon where he was hidden from January until September 1943. Peter immigrated to the United States in 1946 and has been married to Leonie Warschauer for 50 years. They have two daughters and two grandsons.