1) I thought his presentation was amazing; the first hand account really hit home because all that we have learned this person actually went through. it really makes you think after just seeing pictures for so long. Mr. Diamond also gave some details on certain things that made it seem so much more clear, albeit painful. .
Sarah
This is actually what I wrote in my journal about the speech. Have a good break! See you in class.
Mr. Joe Diamond came and talked to our class today. There
is no way to experience something, besides first-hand, better then through a
real live speaker. I thought that he spoke very well and really got
across some of the events he had to deal with. I though it was
interesting how he said that his town were not sorry to see him and his family
and friends leave and they were not welcoming when they returned. I
thought that it was very interesting when he discussed how he was on the way to
the gas chambers when a German and a Russian felt pity for him and helped him
escape death. He said he never wanted to commit suicide like some of the
others. Possibly the most moving statement he made, however, is that the
whole experience still affects him to this day and that there is not a day he
does not think about what happened. I do not blame him, but it just goes
to show you how horrible the Holocaust really was.
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3)
October 6th
Joe Diamond’s lecture today in class was very moving, and very beneficial. I think a lot of people don’t realize the full impact of the Holocaust. Many have been desensitized to the atrocities through textbook descriptions and stuffy news reports, not to mention the amount of time that has passed since then. Even to some extent video clips of what happened and the after effects are not as affecting as having a tangible survivor come in to tell his story.
Mr. Diamond’s account was a wonderful way to have the class see the effects the Holocaust had on one individual and his family. He didn’t come across as a man who’s been lecturing on the subject for so long that emotion is no longer expressed in his retelling, but as a very personal, down-to-earth individual looking to share his story in the hopes of preventing what happened to him from happening to others. His interjections helped to bring our focus back to unbelievably of what human beings are capable of doing to other human beings. This was a wonderful way to end the discussion on the Holocaust, and if a class like this is taught again, I hope that future students have the benefit of hearing Mr. Diamond.
Aimee
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4)
Thanks for setting that up for us.
It really makes a difference to have someone, a person, standing in front of you who has gone through all the things textbooks have been telling you about. It makes it more human. It was a very eye-opening experience and I'm glad I got the chance to have it.
Emily-Rose Maher
5)
I thought it was exceptional and the most heart wrenching thing I have ever witnessed. It is one thing to see these awful things on TV or read about them, it is another to speak to someone who actually lived through it, and know the people of his family that did not. Mr. Diamond has done part of his duty with me: I have not only been informed, but I will never let this happen to someone again.
Sara Lockhart
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6)
i personally thought it was a very well put together, moving speech. i thought the pictures afterwards were even better. you just can't beat the personal account of someone that's been there. i also agreed with his ending message of the speech.
-matt ogrinc
7)
The part that schocked me the most was when he added in that little side note by saying how he was a bad husband to his wife. And how he was very impatient, then and there is when I felt the so bad for him.
Melissa Emerling
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8)
Today was the first time I have ever heard an account of the Holocaust from a victim in person. It's much different than watching a tv interview. It's hard to explain the feeling while watching a person who you know has been through worse than you could ever imagine and worse than you'll ever go through. Patrick Doyle
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9)
I thought the presentation was very informational. He presented his real life testimony which I believe would be hard to do, even after many years. He also showed a timely sense of humor which captured the attention of the class. Great presentation and I feel so sad!
Ryan McArdle
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10) It was excellent. I appreciated him taking time to tell his gripping story.
Joe
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11) I could never imagine someone forcing me from my house, and telling me that I am going to move to a place to work on a farm. I have no idea what I would have done if someone had killed my family, and tried to kill me. You can see how the holocaust really hardened Mr. Diamond but you have to sympathize with him. All in all I thought that Mr. Diamond's speech was very moving, and it will have a lasting effect on me.
Steve Harrington
12) I thought Mr. Diamond’
presentation was very informative and interesting but depressing. It was one thing to have
read about these events but hearing someone personally describe them to you
first hand puts it in a whole new light on Holocaust atrocities.
Ryan
13) I was very touched by Mr. Diamond's story about his Holocaust experience. I can't even begin to imagine how he must feel knowing what probably happened to his mother and little brother. I think that he and his father were very lucky to find each other again after the war because many people lost all of their family at the camps. I think what shocked me the most was when he told us about having to stay outside all night in 5-10 degree weather with thin clothes on. I don't think I would have survived if I would have been there.
Jennifer Harmon
14( Dr. Lavin,
I thought the presentation was very educational. It was good to actually hear an eye witness account from the actual source. He was a great speaker, and probably one of the only speakers I didn't want to fall asleep to. It was very interesting, and I wanted to hear more. I wish we could have gone into depth, and heard more of his encounters. Honestly, I want to thank you and Joe Diamond for putting this together. I'm glad I had the chance to be part of this.
Thanks,
Corey
15) Mr. Diamonds talk with the class was very emotional and touching. Actually hearing personal responses and reflections from a person who actually experienced such a traumatizing experience made me actually visualize his life as a whole. I couldn't imagine going on knowing that my mother and brother were burned to death and then coming home to a father who was a completely different person. The thought of seeing, hearing, and smelling the affect of abuse and torture makes me sick. I give Mr. Diamond a lot of credit for doing what he does today and thank you.
Megan Ackley
16)
i simply thought it was amazing - he is a very powerful
speaker and has a very powerful presence about him. He did a thing for
our class we could never read in a book or see in a moive
he painted a picture that was before during and after the holocaust - i thank him very much for opening up to us - thanks –rp
17)I thought that his presentation was very interesting and while listening and I felt so very sorry for him. All of the information he presented to us about his experience was very similar to the experiences of many people we have learned about so far in class. However, the pictures that he showed to some of us at the end of class were very moving. I thought that it was an excellent presentation for our class.
-Allison Caffrey
18) Dr. Lavin,
I thought the presentation given by Mr. Joe Diamond in class yesterday was a great experience. You could tell that he was really speaking from the heart and everything he said was just touching. I know it must be very hard for him to talk about this, but we all learned that he really wants to spread the word that what happened should not ever happen again. I am really glad that I go to listen to him speak, it is just hard to understand why the Germans felt it was necessary to be the "Master Race."
Karen Fuller
19) I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Diamond's speech to our class. I felt that it was very educational and also very emotional. Mr. Diamond is a truly amazing person. I hope that he continues to speak to teenagers like us so that he can touch other's lives as he did mine. I would like to thank Mr. Diamond for coming to see us. We all learned from his story.
Ashley English
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I thoroughly enjoyed Wednesday's presentation. Actually seeing and hearing a person who survived the Holocaust is pretty amazing. I feel I have a much better understanding of what went on and what these people went through. I also find it quite amazing that he was able to maintain a sense of humor when discussing such a personal issue. Once again, I enjoyed the presentation and look forward to having more guest speakers.
Zach Ferrari
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21) I found Mr. Diamond's presentation was very worth while. Hearing his account in person was much more power full than seeing any video tape or reading any article. The best part I thought personally was the little details that he told of his old neighbors when they were leaving town to the Mongol men that gave him a ride back.
Rob Mattulke
22)I
thought that his presentation was great. I knew what went on in the Holocaust
from learning about it in class, but when a real survivor comes to talk face to
face it is like a huge kick into reality. I got out of the class, called my mom
and cried. What Mr. Diamond is doing is an amazing thing, and I am very g
23)Its always interesting to have a live speaker come to talk about personal experiences. However, i think 50 minutes was a little short to talk about such a huge topic, especially as he wanted to talk about what life was like for survivors after the event, and not just during the Holocaust. Brendan
24)
Dr. Lavin
I really enjoyed Mr. Diamond's talk that he gave to us in class on wednesday. The way he approached us on the perosnal level I felt was really the best way to get his point across. It was truly an eye opening experience for me and I am sure that I am not alone in this. I hope to hear Mr. Diamond speak again in the future. His message was clear and well spoken.
David Patello
25)
Mr. Diamond was a great speaker. His speach made me realize that he is living proof of what the Holocaust was really like. I cried over some of the horrible things he said...such as: when he know his mom and brother were burned to death...about a lady who gave birth to her child on the train and a trooper picked it up and kicked it...this was just a few things that made me hurt for him. I could tell that he thinks about this everyday and is still very sad. I hope his dreams and wishes are answered!
Makenna
26)
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply but I just want to let you know that I loved his speech. I was worried that it was going to be too emotional to handle however, he got his point across excellently. So I can say that he was a pleasure to have and I would love to here him speech again.
Sarah Ansini
27)
Dr, Lavin,
As someone who has no relatives who
experienced nor anyone in
Matt
28) I felt that Mr. Diamond spoke to the class in a way that was not very hateful towards the Germans and what they did to his people but more in a persuasive manner to educate us on what happened and why something such as genocide must be avoided in the future. When he began to talk about some of the experiences he went through, he became somewhat hesitant which made me realize how painful it must be to think about what he went through. I could feel his pain and anguish deep down inside. Learning about the Holocaust from someone very educated about the history and events that occurred is one thing, but to hear about it from someone that actually lived through it was very powerful. Craig
29)
I thought Mr. Diamond’s presentation was very informative. It seems like no matter how many times you read the samething, it just doesn't hit you as much as if you hear it first hand from a person that went through it. He captivated me the entire time he spoke. It was so sad to hear about seeing his mother and sibling for the last time. I'm amazed at how well he could keep his composure telling us the stuff he did. I enjoyed him speaking to us very much! Andrea
30) At first, I was a little hesitant about Mr. Diamond's presentation,
wondering if it would be bashing Germans, or just an angry, bitter, one. But, I
saw that it wasn't that at all.
I was very moved by what he spoke about. To hear a live,
first-person encounter about the Nazis and being in the camps is different than
seeing it on TV or reading it in a book. Mr. Diamond showed that he still has
some scars from his experience, but he's using them in a good way, to teach
students and just about anyone about the horrors that occurred in
He suffered so much, and it just makes me wonder why someone
would do something. He lost his mother and younger siblings. This must have
hurt him so much, but to be able to speak about it shows how strong he really
is, and I envy him for that and hope that he continues on his quest to tell
people about the atrocities that occurred in Europe and to make sure it never
happens again. Erica
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31) Sorry I did not get this in sooner.
I was very pleased with Mr.
Diamond's presentation. It was very educational and inspiring. It was very cool
to hear from someone who actually lived through these horrific events that we
have been studying all this time. I can't even imagine what iswas
like for him to be sepa
32) I found Mr. Diamond's presentation to be very helpful in
further understanding the tragedy that happened and its true face. I think that
presentations like that are better source of information because when you
listen to someone who actually went thou this hell you can understand the
dimension of what happened better then from any other source. Michal
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33)