Students at a school in Melbourne’s south-east have held a Holocaust remembrance ceremony after taking the initiative to show solidarity with Jewish Australians and other communities facing prejudice.
Heritage College, a Christian school which has campuses at Narre Warren South and Officer, held the ceremony on Thursday, 11 June.
The event followed a student-led show of support during the school’s Multicultural Day.
Without prompting from teachers, students chose to celebrate their own cultural backgrounds while also acknowledging communities affected by racism and discrimination.
Although the school has no Jewish students, many had become concerned about rising antisemitism and wanted to stand with the Jewish community.
The initiative was part of a broader change at the school, where Holocaust education has increasingly focused on helping students understand the consequences of prejudice and dehumanisation.
Teacher Sarah Perry said she initially struggled with how to teach traumatic history in a meaningful and age-appropriate way.
She had also heard students use offensive language without understanding its significance.
“It became clear that Holocaust education needed to extend beyond a single classroom and become part of a broader, school-wide effort to show students where prejudice and dehumanisation can lead,” Perry said.
She took part in the Gandel Holocaust Studies Program for Australian Educators, which combines online study with intensive training at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem.
Gandel Foundation senior grant manager Nicole Brittain said the program helped teachers present both the historical facts and the moral lessons of the Holocaust.
“The Gandel Holocaust Studies Program for Australian Teachers equips educators not only to teach the facts of the Holocaust, but also to inspire future generations to stand against hatred, prejudice and indifference,” Brittain said.
“Education is the most powerful safeguard against hatred. Its importance lies not only in remembering the past, but in shaping a more compassionate and courageous future.”
Through the program, Perry connected with Courage to Care Victoria chief executive Mike Zervos.
The organisation subsequently began delivering its free Upstander Programs at Heritage College. The volunteer-led workshops use Holocaust survivor testimony and interactive activities to teach students how to respond to racism, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.
Courage to Care Victoria says it has delivered the programs to more than 200,000 students across the state.
Zervos said the Heritage College students’ response during Multicultural Day showed the program’s message being put into practice.
“What happened at Heritage College on Multicultural Day is Courage to Care in action,” he said.
“When educators are equipped to teach this history with depth and meaning, students like these are the result.
“Our message to students is simple: whether it is antisemitism, racism or any form of discrimination, silence is never the answer.”
Perry said the program complemented lessons about people who resisted the Nazi regime and encouraged students to consider how they could respond to prejudice in their own lives.
“Many young people feel powerless, but Courage to Care shows them that choosing to act, even in small ways, can have a real impact,” she said.
Since the program began, students have written cards to Jewish schools, organised the school’s first Holocaust remembrance ceremony and become more willing to report discriminatory behaviour.
Perry said students were increasingly connecting history with their own responsibility to challenge hatred.
“It is powerful to see students understand that history shapes the choices they make today, and that they have a role in standing up for others,” she said.
“What matters most to me is seeing students recognise their own agency when they choose to be Upstanders, welcome our Jewish guests thoughtfully or challenge harmful behaviour.”