Courage To Care

One of the more unexpected things I unearthed on my last trip to Australia is a travelling exhibition developed by the B'nai B'rith Jewish Service organization called Courage To Care. As far as I know it’s a uniquely Australian project, though the name probably stems from a 1985 documentary of the same name.
I heard about it from my brother in law’s mother, Hanni, who is one of the volunteer guides in the travelling exhibition.
In my view the main drawing card of this exhibition is the participation of non-Jewish rescuers (righteous amongst the nations) who were courageous enough to rescue Jews during the Holocaust from persecution and death. School age children meet with and encounter these great individuals, telling their story firsthand.
With eyes glazed over, Hanni told us of the elderly, formerly Dutch rescuer, who travels with the exhibition to outlying country towns in NSW to tell his story to the local school children. In the past he would be accompanied by his wife who also was one of the rescuers but who has since passed away. Today he lives in the Montefiore Aged Home.
Also participating in the exhibition are Jewish holocaust survivors. Imagine hearing the stories from holocaust survivors who owe their lives to the courageous actions of others.
Then the children participate in the Living in Harmony workshop, enabling them to explore the relevance of Courage to Care principles in their own lives, sometimes beset with bullying and racism.
Since its inception in the late 90s, Courage to Care has visited tens of towns and cities in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. The exhibition has been seen by at least 135,000 people, including 46,000 school students. In NSW transport costs for school groups to each exhibition venues are borne by Courage to Care, thus taking any financial strains off parents and schools, and enabling the less-advantaged students to experience the programme.
There are three major phases in each exhibition:
GUIDES - volunteer guides show school groups and visitors around the exhibition, explaining the panels and showcases, which define the courage of the rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust
SURVIVORS - Holocaust survivors explain to groups their experiences during the Nazi Holocaust…how they survived, the strength and courage they needed, and the way in which a small number of ordinary people displayed the courage to care for them and for others
EDUCATORS - a team of professional educators and facilitators who run workshops for school groups, relating the themes of the exhibition to contemporary issues such as bullying, stereotyping, and aboriginality, and ensuring that students take away with them the message that the individual can make a difference.
The overriding message in Courage to Care is one of communal tolerance in 21st century Australia. By drawing on the Holocaust experience 65 years ago, the exhibition shows that in today's world of conflict and inequality, there is still the need to stand up to discrimination and persecution.