Temple Israel Religious School
5007 Providence Road Charlotte, North Carolina 28226
5007 Providence Road Charlotte, North Carolina 28226
| "Temple Israel Religious School (TIRS) is dedicated to providing Jewish children a quality Jewish education that will not only prepare them for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but also encourage a joyous attitude towards Judaism that will be the framework of a strong Jewish identity and the foundation of a Jewish life." |
Elyse Bodenheimer - My Jewish Legacy
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My name is Elyse Bodenheimer and I am twelve years old. My bat
mitzvah is on January 24, 2009, and for my bat mitzvah project I
have created a website for the grandchildren of holocaust
survivors to share their grandparent's stories on their journeys
and survival during the holocaust to a safer place.
The website name is www.myjewishlegacy.com, and I
decided to do this website because I wanted kids to have a place
to document the journeys and experiences their family had to go
through. I hope to inspire others who read these courageous
stories. I was taught how my family fought to survive because
they were proud of their Jewish identity, and hearing about my
own family's history has made me feel proud to be a Jew. I am
hoping that this website will keep those memories alive!
I have been blessed with wonderful grandparents. Two of
them, my dad's parents, escaped Germany during the rise of
Hitler and the Nazis. I never knew my grandmother, Ellen
Schleicher Bodenheimer, because she died before I was born.
My grandfather, Bert Arno Bodenheimer, passed away on March
8th. He truly inspired me to be proud of my Jewish heritage.
I once spent an afternoon interviewing my Grandpa Bert
and re-living his travels from the age of 10. I learned what it was
like to live as a Jewish child under the rule of the Nazis. There
came a time when he could no longer go to school in Germany.
His family lived on the Swiss border, and his family was able to
arrange for him and his sister to go to school there. He would ride
his bike to school in Switzerland, hiding documents and money
(also the deed to the house in Germany) and sneaking them
across the border, to give to a teacher in Switzerland to hold for
the Bodenheimer family. Every day the police would flag him over
the border, but on the ride home, they would stop him, search his
belongings, and even take the tire off of his bicycle to make sure
he wasn't smuggling items into Germany. They never thought he
would smuggle items OUT of Germany! It was very dangerous to
do this for his family, but my grandfather was a very determined,
smart, and brave person. His Jewish identity was one of the most
important aspects of his being.
Once I get and read stories from other kids and teens, I will
post them on the website and comment on them. My hope is that
kids and teens find this as interesting as I do. It is important to
share these stories with generations to come. If it were not for
their bravery, a lot of us would not be here today. Hopefully
everyone will check back on the website and read the stories of
other families, and get some inspiration.
What I hope to get out of my bat mitzvah project is that I
can encourage other Jewish children and teens to learn more
about the holocaust and their own family's history. I will also be
researching more about my grandparents and we can share
information with each other on ways to find more about the
different journeys to the United States. This website is one way to
do that.
Please help me with this project by spreading the word and asking
children and teens to submit stories at www.myjewishlegacy.com
Thank you for your help.
Elyse Bodenheimer
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
mitzvah is on January 24, 2009, and for my bat mitzvah project I
have created a website for the grandchildren of holocaust
survivors to share their grandparent's stories on their journeys
and survival during the holocaust to a safer place.
The website name is www.myjewishlegacy.com, and I
decided to do this website because I wanted kids to have a place
to document the journeys and experiences their family had to go
through. I hope to inspire others who read these courageous
stories. I was taught how my family fought to survive because
they were proud of their Jewish identity, and hearing about my
own family's history has made me feel proud to be a Jew. I am
hoping that this website will keep those memories alive!
I have been blessed with wonderful grandparents. Two of
them, my dad's parents, escaped Germany during the rise of
Hitler and the Nazis. I never knew my grandmother, Ellen
Schleicher Bodenheimer, because she died before I was born.
My grandfather, Bert Arno Bodenheimer, passed away on March
8th. He truly inspired me to be proud of my Jewish heritage.
I once spent an afternoon interviewing my Grandpa Bert
and re-living his travels from the age of 10. I learned what it was
like to live as a Jewish child under the rule of the Nazis. There
came a time when he could no longer go to school in Germany.
His family lived on the Swiss border, and his family was able to
arrange for him and his sister to go to school there. He would ride
his bike to school in Switzerland, hiding documents and money
(also the deed to the house in Germany) and sneaking them
across the border, to give to a teacher in Switzerland to hold for
the Bodenheimer family. Every day the police would flag him over
the border, but on the ride home, they would stop him, search his
belongings, and even take the tire off of his bicycle to make sure
he wasn't smuggling items into Germany. They never thought he
would smuggle items OUT of Germany! It was very dangerous to
do this for his family, but my grandfather was a very determined,
smart, and brave person. His Jewish identity was one of the most
important aspects of his being.
Once I get and read stories from other kids and teens, I will
post them on the website and comment on them. My hope is that
kids and teens find this as interesting as I do. It is important to
share these stories with generations to come. If it were not for
their bravery, a lot of us would not be here today. Hopefully
everyone will check back on the website and read the stories of
other families, and get some inspiration.
What I hope to get out of my bat mitzvah project is that I
can encourage other Jewish children and teens to learn more
about the holocaust and their own family's history. I will also be
researching more about my grandparents and we can share
information with each other on ways to find more about the
different journeys to the United States. This website is one way to
do that.
Please help me with this project by spreading the word and asking
children and teens to submit stories at www.myjewishlegacy.com
Thank you for your help.
Elyse Bodenheimer
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA