For The Educator, a note from the songwriter:
As time moves farther and farther away from the 1940s, there are less and less people who witnessed the atrocities first-hand. I remember the Holocaust survivors who came to speak at various school and synagogue programs, hearing their stories, and feeling responsible to carry on their memory. I wonder, when I am older, who will share their stories? Who will tell and retell, not to wallow in the past, but to learn from the world’s mistakes? We will. We must hear their voices, sing their stories, hold our heads high. We are still here. We will never forget.
Consider and discuss:
-How will you listen to their voices?
-What can you do to tell their stories?
Lyrics:
Walking in a chill ran through me
Whispered voices carried to me
Thoughts of those who walked here lonely
Too numb to scream, too cold to shout
Seeking to express my feeling
Body broke, emotions reeling
Now I stand as testimony
I walked in an also out
And I hear your voices (I can hear your voices)
I can hear you call
And I hear your voices (I can hear your voices)
Reaching to us all
Looking back as someone hated
Tortured beat up and berated
Standing there my heart was pounding
Frozen with the wind and fear
Now today I stand here proudly
Singing out their stories loudly
Though the pain is still surrounding
We can say that we’re still here
And I hear your voices (I can hear your voices)
I can hear you call
And I hear your voices (I can hear your voices)
Reaching to us all