Jean Louise Finch

September 30, 2015

Social Studies

Period V

#HistoryHappens Assignment #1

Title: “Bar mitzvah remembers a boy lost more than 70 years ago”

Date: July 29, 2015

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer (www.philly.com)

Location: Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, USA

Surrounding states, countries, or physical features: New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Lake Erie, Delaware River

Continent: North America

Paragraph #1 (Summary):

This article is about an 89-year-old survivor of the Holocaust who was recently contacted by a local boy, 12-year-old Justin Badt of Bala Cynwyd, who was working on a project related to his upcoming bar mitzvah. As part of this program, “Remember Us: The Holocaust Bnai Mitzvah Project,” Justin “twinned” himself with a child who was murdered by the Nazis before he was old enough to have his own bar mitzvah. Justin used online resources to track down Peter Ryba, who now lives with his family in Australia. Justin’s “twin” was Gregory, Mr. Ryba’s younger brother, who had been too young to go to England with him when the boy’s parents sent Peter to live in England with his uncle, thus saving his life. After contacting Mr. Ryba personally, Justin invited him to attend his bar mitzvah, which he was able to do. The two families formed a unique bond due to Justin’s efforts, one that gave Justin a new appreciation for the history of the Holocaust, and which provided Mr. Ryba with “a sense of closure” for what happened to his little brother.

Paragraph #2 (My reaction):

This story fascinated me. There’s so much going on here. Mr. Ryba’s family story is heart-breaking. Justin’s project is very cool, and the fact that he was able to actually make contact with Mr. Ryba is amazing. But then, to top it off, they were actually able to meet in person and Mr. Ryba was part of Justin’s very special day. THAT’S incredible. My friend Sara is preparing for her bat mitzvah right now, and I know how important this event is to her and to her family. This is just another example of one of Mr. Austin’s rules about history, how everyday people are the ones who “make history,” because history really is about regular people like Mr. Ryba and his family.

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Notes:

- The heading. This is the standard heading for all social studies assignments. Please use this heading and do not use headers.

- Everything is DOUBLE-SPACED. (Ctrl+2) Submissions that are not double-spaced will NOT be accepted for grading and will have to be re-submitted and counted as LATE.

- Use a size 11 or 12 plain font.

- Required elements are listed. Please follow this example.

- Required paragraphs are clearly labeled and indented. Each paragraph is at least five sentences long.

- All the required criteria for this assignment, as shown in this sample, must be included in order for you to receive full credit for each #HistoryHappens assignment.

- If you have questions, ASK.