EDUCAT ION
Learning,
Listening
and Sharing
In various columns I have written, I have
explored a number of concepts relating
to our mission and work at Holocaust
Museum Houston. Today, I write about
learning, listening and sharing and about
what I learned this summer from a very
DR. MARY LEE WEBECK
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
wise young woman. Her name is Melanie
Weinberger, and she is closely related to
HMH’s work in ways that are shaping her
life. Indeed, Weinberger’s family history
is a rich part of the fabric of HMH. Her
great-grandmother, the late Riva Kremer;
her grandparents Linda and Morris Penn,
of blessed memory; and her uncle Hyman
Penn and his wife Lynn Gordon have had a
significant influence on the Museum.
Weinberger had applied to be a 2014
Warren Fellow. She was the youngest
fellow ever accepted to the program. She
was a quiet and reserved participant, while
it was obvious that she was affected greatly
by what she was experiencing. During the
2014-2015 school year, she contacted
me and asked about volunteering and
interning at HMH during the summer
of 2015. Weinberger completed her
internship in the summer, working in a
variety of ways to support the Education
Department: researching; organizing
materials; processing evaluations; working
on inputting and updating data and
databases; and helping to facilitate the very
busy days of the 2015 Warren Fellowship
and the 2015 Max M. Kaplan Summer
Institute. She created lesson plans that
aligned with HMH’s mission and style.
She worked on the development of
an exhibit, reading and researching
photographer Roman Vishniac’s life and
work. This summer, I recognized once
again the adage, “Still waters run deep.” In
her, I saw this.
Weinberger helped me to remember
something very important to an educator:
It is important to listen. The Dali Lama
has said, “When you talk, you are only
repeating what you already know. But when
you listen, you may learn something new.”
As the summer ended, I asked her to
make a personal presentation on the
last day of the Summer Institute about
her family and about what she had
experienced. She did so eloquently. If you
are interested in reading her presentation,
please email me and I will share it with you.
In this issue of “HMH Bearing Witness,”
we share her ideas about her time at HMH
with all of you, for to me, they epitomize
the role of the learning experiences
we foster at HMH and in our community.
Together, we can listen and learn.
Reflections of MelanieWeinberger
When Mary Lee asked me to speak about my
family, I realized that this would be the first time
I would audibly be telling their stories; I’m now
realizing it was the first of many times.
After completing the Warren Fellowship for
Future Teachers last summer, I learned an
immense amount about the Holocaust, but I also
discovered just how much more there is to learn
and understand. Twice this summer, I was able to
learn alongside current and future educators of
the Holocaust. Being among them all was such
an honor to my family and I, because teachers
like them ensure the Holocaust and its stories,
like those of my grandparents, will never be
forgotten.
As of now, I want to teach in the lower
elementary grades, where I will not directly be
teaching the content of the Holocaust. But
my time at the Museum this summer has
shown me how applicable the lessons of
the Holocaust are, and in so many contexts.
A deeper understanding of the Holocaust
and how it occurred confronts us with the
values of social responsibility, empathy,
compassion, leadership, integrity and most
of all, how to be an upstander. I know I want
my future students to be socially responsible,
empathetic, compassionate upstanders, so as
a future educator, further understanding and
learning about the Holocaust is essential. I
could not authentically teach these values to
my students if I did not fully explore them, and
expect them, of myself.
I am so thankful for my time here this summer,
and feel especially fortunate to have had
the opportunity to learn with the Education
Department staff, who are all teachers I
admire greatly. I can only hope that I can be
as wonderful as an educator as they are. I
feel so proud knowing I will always honor
my grandparents’ and great-grandmother’s
memories in my life and in my future classroom.
Melanie Weinberger presented at the
Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute.