Swampscott Students Attend National Conference with Anti-Defamation League

Two Swampscott High School students recently had the opportunity to learn from the atrocities of discrimination in the past in order to prevent bullying and discrimination today.

Emma Sutherland and Shama Varghese traveled to Washington, D.C. the week of Nov. 18 with the Anti-Defamation League of New England for a four-day National Youth Leadership Mission. More than 125 other young leaders from across the country, all chosen to participate based on their leadership experiences and interest in diversity, also attended the conference, according to a press release.

Students spent time at the conference sharing their personal experiences with bullying, hatred and discrimination, and also hearing from Holocaust survivors, hate crime prevention experts and politicians.

“The mission was designed to help students apply important lessons from historical atrocities such as the Holocaust to modern-day examples of anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hate and prevent such occurrences from happening within their respective communities,” the press release stated.

As part of the conference, participants spent time at the National Holocaust Museum; one exhibit there, the “Neighbors” exhibit, was particularly powerful for Sutherland.

“We often forget that while such horrible atrocities were occurring, there were also bystanders ignoring the pain and suffering Jews were experiencing and often benefiting from their misfortune,” Sutherland told the Jewish Journal. “Christian neighbors would stand by as Jewish families were being evacuated from their homes to claim their property and items. In our current society, we also see these types of things on smaller scales.

“What I gained from attending the mission was an understanding that I can make the difference, I do have the power to stand up for someone or something and that is important. I am excited to take the knowledge I have gained from the past and relate it to the present for my community to benefit from.”

Photo contributed