Sixth-grade students of Gesher Hebrew School in suburban Buffalo have begun the task of collecting six million pennies to try and grasp the reality of the six million Jews slaughtered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, WIVB news reported.
The students were motivated by the Paper Clips Project that took place in Whitwell Tennessee in 1998, where students began collecting paper clips for the same purpose.
The initiative, which upon last count reportedly accumulated more than 30 million paper clips, was featured in an award winning documentary film released in 2004 by Miramax films.
Paper Clips Project Coordinator Linda Hooper was the keynote speaker at Buffalo’s Yom Hashoah observance Sunday. She answered questions from some Gesher students following the ceremony.
“Their ideas have spread all over the world,” said Hooper during her address to some 500 people in attendance at Temple Beth Tzedek.
“We kind of went right into what they did, only with pennies,” said 11 year-old Mason Botwin. He stated his bewilderment that there are no Jewish residents in Whitwell, located about 30 miles west of Chattanooga.
To date, the Gesher students have collected about 50,000 pennies, which will be donated this week to the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Read more at Arutz Sheva
{Arutz Sheva/Matzav.com Newscenter}
Please provide contact info of who we can be in touch with to donate. I have 1000 pennies to give.
very touching
who cares
Down to earth, what do you mean “who cares” ??? These young children are trying to get an idea of what it means to have lost 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. Its very hard for anyone to relate! Please think before you comment.
i think there is a video called ‘six million paper clips’
120,000 rolls of pennies! could fit a pallet!???
120,000 rolls of pennies! could fit a pallet!??? 31085 lbs!
Wow amazing! there is also the same project being run by the Yavneh jewish school in london, england – to donate http://www.pennieswithpurpose.co.uk.
Beis Yaakov Grammar school in NW london also tried to do that but stopped after a few years.
Good Luck Gesher!!!
That’s $60,000.00.
But the tragedy is still very sad. Imagion they were still here…..