Page 16 - Boca Exposure - November '24

Page 16, Boca Exposure
inSIGHT Through Education Is The Backbone Of The Holocaust

Studies Program For Palm Beach County Schools

inSIGHT Through Education is a nonprofit, nonsectarian These fellows are committed to sharing their knowledge
organization with a mission to inspire and educate, with schools and communities, thus promoting Holocaust
encouraging kindness, acceptance, and respect for all, education and the values of courage and compassion. Palm
using lessons learned from the Holocaust and genocides Beach County has a cohort of 20-plus Lerner Fellows who
worldwide, to recognize and oppose antisemitism, hatred, share this knowledge with their peers. This impact ripples
and bigotry. inSIGHT is the backbone of Holocaust through schools, fostering understanding and remembrance
Education in Palm Beach County schools, which is of the Holocaust.
mandated in Florida, along with the study and prevention Since the tragedies of October 7 and the significant rise in
of antisemitism. Last school year, inSIGHT reached new antisemitism, organizations worldwide have acknowledged
audiences and doubled its impact, reaching 40,000 students the need for education from an early age. inSIGHT has done
and hundreds of educators. inSIGHT knows that education this for 14 years. Looking ahead to inSIGHT’s 15th year, we
is key to change and is committed to opening the hearts and Traveling cattle car classroom remember the vision that unites us: to create a generation of
minds of young people, our future leaders. future leaders who are kind, empathetic, informed critical
inSIGHT provides age-appropriate resources, speakers, the legacy of Righteous Gentiles who saved Jews during thinkers with the courage to stand up for themselves and the
and programs for students at every level, and funds professional the Holocaust, participants attend a rigorous program led rights of others.
development for teachers and administrators. Principals and by Holocaust scholars, becoming Alfred Lerner Fellows. More information: insightthrougheducation.org.
assistant principals may attend the Principal’s Field Study
in Washington, D.C. With local Holocaust Survivors, they
visit the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum
and the National Museum of African American History and
Culture. Participants are profoundly impacted, enhancing
their support for Holocaust and antisemitism education. At
the Centropa Summer Academy (CSA), 70-plus educators
from 15-plus countries convene for a 7-day program. They
use the city of Berlin as their classroom and collected stories
to learn history and its implications today. Key to the CSA is
the active participation of teachers, who share good practices
and work on lesson plans and cross-border projects together.
At the JFR Lerner Institute, a prestigious program aimed at
advancing educators’ knowledge of Holocaust history and

Book Review from page 15

enjoy the company of chickens (how many “pets” offer the gift
of eggs in return for their care?) and name each of the birds
in their precious feathered family members for its individual
personality, color or other physical feature. As she notes, some
are shy, some more aggressive; some affectionate, others aloof.
Just like humans.
And they are smart! Here are just a few examples of the
many surprises you will find in these pages. (Some text has
been omitted for lack of space):
• “In 2023, a study reported that roosters recognize their own
reflections in mirrors – common … measure of self-awareness.
Previous experiments show that apes, like humans, do this.”
• “Only hours after leaving the egg they are able to walk, run and
peck.” (An adult chicken can run as fast as nine miles an hour!)
• “Relationships are important to them. The average
chicken can recognize more than 100 other chickens. They
can remember the past and anticipate the future, and they
communicate specific information through at least 24 distinct
calls.” A warning signal from a rooster to his hens, for example,
will alert them to whether an enemy is approaching by ground
or from the air!
There is hardly a page without an eye-opening surprise:
“The disturbing fact that, on the way to the soup pot, a chicken
can continue to run around after decapitation does little to
bolster appreciation for the species’ more refined traits. In
fact, one rooster was able to live for 18 months after his head
was cut off. Farmer Lloyd Olsen, hoping to please his visiting
mother-in-law, who particularly savored boiled chicken neck,
failed to kill the rooster when his axe missed the bird’s carotid
artery and left one ear and most of the brain stem intact.
Not only did the victim survive, but he grew from two and a
half pounds to eight and attained national fame as Mike the
Headless Chicken from 1945 to 1947.”
For me personally, as I turned the last page of What the
Chicken Knows, one thought struck me most poignantly:
Ever thoughtful and considerate of her readers, Montgomery
has kept this book’s focus entirely on helping us to better
understand and enjoy the fascinating and fun facts about these
remarkable birds who are so much a part of our lives.
Not once in these pages does this author mention that she
herself is a vegetarian, nor does she devote a single sentence
to the suffering of these sentient creatures from the cruelty
of the factory-like poultry industry. It was not her purpose in
writing this book.
Sparing us such a balanced narrative is her gift to this
book’s readers despite what I know to be her own deep
feelings on the subject, having read and reviewed half a dozen
of her earlier books.
As a senior now, I realize that if this book had been written
decades ago it might have been a life-changing experience in
one sense for me. Perhaps it’s not too late. I hear those plant-
based burgers and other meat substitutes are pretty good …
and I would feel so good about myself.
I strongly suggest you lay your hands on a copy of this book
as soon as possible … even if you have to scramble to get it!