JCoS facilitated this year's Yom HaShoah Art Project for P7 pupils at Calderwood Lodge Jewish Primary School. The project provided an opportunity for the pupils to engage in deep, hands-on learning about the Shoah, that covered all areas of the curriculum, and formed part of the lead-up to the class trip to Amsterdam in May, where they will learn more about the Shoah, as well as strengthening their Jewish identities as they prepare for the transition to secondary school.

In preparation for their journey to Amsterdam, JCoS Senior Educator Sydney Switzer introduced pupils to the life of Anne Frank, and the various journeys she travelled during her short life. She was born in Germany, moved to the Netherlands as a child, was deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz Concentration and Death Camp in Poland, before she died in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany.

Sydney encouraged the pupils to begin by examining their own family stories. Some had relatives who had survived the Shoah, and others who had been killed. Some had family living in Britain at the time of the war, and others had very different journeys, arriving in Scotland from countries around the world. At the core of all of these narratives was the journey of migration, its hardships – and wonders – and the resilience demonstrated by all of their families in coming to live in this new place.

Pupils then created visual representations of their family journeys to Scotland, planning their design, and learning different stitches to produce beautiful and meaningful embroideries. Some chose to focus on the idea of physical places, looking at the different countries and cities their families had lived, while others chose to focus on key points in the journey such as the boat in which they sailed from India to Britain, or the clothing they wore throughout the journey. Many also incorporated significant faith symbols into their designs. Colour also played an important role, and the pupils researched colours to represent their faith and nationalities.

A display of the finished embroideries was shared with the wider community at the Glasgow Rep Council's Yom HaShoah Commemoration in Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue. The event, in which JCoS participated, was very well-attended, and thanks are due to both the Yom HaShoah Committee for organising this commemoration, and to Interfaith Scotland for their support.

We would also like to thank the pupils and staff at Calderwood Lodge for welcoming us into the school, and making the space in their timetable to carry out this important project.