International Holocaust Remembrance Day

In 2019, the symposium held at Shawnigan Lake School was nothing short of eye-opening, with two survivors, one from the Holocaust and one from a Canadian residential school, sharing their stories. It was then the students at Shawnigan first heard Alex Buckman speak as he told his story as a child survivor of the Holocaust. Alex’s story is full of horror, sadness and fear, yet he knows that, as a survivor, he is one of the lucky ones. Thanks to his aunt, Rebecca Buckman Teitelman, who lived through the horror of Ravensbruck concentration camp, her stories and the stories of the women in those barracks will forever be remembered through a notebook found in the camp after the war. While at Ravensbruck, the women found solace in sharing their recipes, songs and other things that reminded them of home, and Rebecca recorded it all, dangerous as it was to do so, in a 110-page book filled with what brought these women together, each giving them a little glimmer of hope. It was when this recipe book was found after the war had ended and been returned to Alex’s aunt Rebecca, who thought it was long lost, that the historical significance would be recognized. Now safely in the hands of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, this book will allow future generations to remember. 

While the pandemic prevented our symposium from happening this year, Shawnigan students were able to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day in other ways. Throughout the day, our social studies classes had meaningful lessons and conversations in the classroom, and at lunch, students connected to the story of the clandestine recipe book with the help of the original Gateau a l’Orange recipe that was Rebecca Teitelman’s contribution to the book. Our kitchen staff prepared the cake for the students to enjoy at lunch on January 27, 2022, and with the story of the cake recipe printed out and placed on the tables in front of them, the students at Shawnigan were able to reflect and connect with the history behind the Orange Cake they were enjoying. A small, somewhat unconventional, but memorable way for the Shawnigan Lake School community to remember and commemorate those who were affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust.  

Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education.