Original subtitles

To the students of the Whitwell Middle School:

l recently learned from a friend about your paper clip project.

l was so moved by the story that l found myself in tears.

You've embarked on a journey that begins in the brain but ends in the heart.

Six million Jews will never again dance, love, sing or learn,

but the souls of six million Jews will be honored, remembered and treasured

because of your little school in Whitwell, Tennessee,

and the tolerance and love that live there.

My name is Linda Hooper.

l've lived here, in Whitwell, Tennessee, all my life,

and l've been the Principal of the middle school for nine years.

A lot of people have said that our little town

is an unlikely place for what happened.

l guess l can understand that.

Probably most people, if they drove into Whitwell,

would not be terribly impressed.

lt's a very rural town, about 24 miles northwest of Chattanooga.

lt's got just two traffic lights...

...several gas stations, and a couple of restaurants.

Whitwell used to be a coal mining community,

and then about 30 years ago, we had a really bad accident,

and the coal mining industry just went bust.

So now we're what's called a depressed community.

But let me tell you something, we're not depressed;

we're poor, we're extremely poor.

But let me tell you about our children.

We have wonderful children.

They're respectful, they are thoughtful,

they are caring...

but they are pretty much homogenous.

We are a community of 1600 people; however, we really have no diversity.

There are no Jewish people, no Catholics,

and in our school, we have only five black kids and one Hispanic child.

We are all alike.

And when we come up to someone who is not like us,

we don't have a clue.

So, in 1998, we began an adventure.

lt was no great mission.

lt was a need, our need.

We were looking to do a project that would involve tolerance and diversity.

So Miss Hooper sent me to a conference in Chattanooga,

and l went to this conference and went to many, many classes

to try to find a project that would fit our need.

So he came back to me, and he said,

''You know, if we studied about the Holocaust,

think about all of the things we could learn.''

We could surely learn about evil.

And we would definitely learn about a culture

that was totally different from our own.

And so l went and asked Sandra Roberts,

who is the 8th grade Language Arts teacher,

if she would like to help.

When l heard about the project, l was so excited.

l couldn't say yes quick enough.

We sat down and we decided that our goal was

to teach children what happens

when intolerance reigns and when prejudice goes unchecked.

So that's what we set out to do--

to teach our children that not everybody is white and Protestant

and doesn't live in a rural community

where they are very protected and loved and cared for.

That's all we wanted to do, just a nice, simple thing.

The important thing is the lessons

that you're going to learn from this project.

How important it is to treat everybody exactly like you want to be treated.

Let's talk a little bit about what's going to happen today.

The first year, which was in '98, l believe,

there was just the Holocaust project.

The teachers didn't know a lot,

but they were trying to teach the kids what they did know.

They read books, and they watched video clips, saw pictures.

And they just tried their best to do what they can.

But l want to remind you before we start

that what we're going to cover in this project is very, very graphic...

Of course, one of the first things that the kids had to learn

and one of the hardest things for them to comprehend

was that Hitler murdered 6 million Jewish people.

The idea for the paper clips came when a student said,

''What is 6 million? l've never seen 6 million.''

Miss Hooper's like, ''Well, neither have l.

lf you can find something to collect, we'll try it.''

So the students began doing some research on the lnternet...

and they discovered that the paper clip was invented in Norway.

l never knew that.

And they also learned that the Norwegians used the paper clip

as a symbol during the Holocaust.

Back in the 1940s, Norwegians wore paper clips on their collar

to represent the people who were in the Holocaust at that time.

The Jews had to wear stars telling people that they were Jews,

so the Norwegians wore the paper clip to represent what the wrongdoing was.

Because if they spoke out about it,

they would probably get killed or put in a concentration camp.

And they came, and they said,

''Can we write some letters to some people we know

''and to some other schools and to some famous people,

and see if they'll send us some paper clips?''

Miss Hooper said, ''Sure.''

So, we began sending letters out.

We have some from Tom Hanks and from Bill Cosby

and from former President Bush

and former President Clinton and President Bush.

''Dear Students: Celebrities don't always read their fan mail,

''as they think it's time-consuming.

''And though l, too, am guilty of not reading everything that crosses my desk,

''l was certainly glad that l read yours.

''l have a very difficult time explaining to any of my seven grandchildren

''what the Holocaust was all about.

''l am a Jew.

''The whole depravity of what happened in the concentration camps

''really struck home when l saw pictures

''of the atrocities perpetrated on the Jewish people.

''Those pictures are still very much alive in my memories.

''l'm sending you one paper clip.

''lt is my paper clip.

''ln the future, l will remember your project

''with every paper clip l come in contact with,

''as it will be a symbol of what you students are trying to accomplish.

''l am moved by your endeavors. Bless You.

Tom Bosley.''

l mean, if this is a middle school, we're talking about 8th graders, l guess.

''Propaganda has absolutely nothing to do with the truth.''

And the stimulation that they're getting from their teachers is really--

everyone there should be commended for what they've done.

When l came in here, l didn't really know a lot about it,

so it just felt good to be a part of something big

and learn more about the Holocaust.

Every year, the incoming 8th graders pick up where last year's left off.

One of the really motivating things for David and me

is seeing the thoughtfulness each new group brings to the project.

Terri Lynn, sitting there all nice and still.

Why did you want to be a part of this?

Because l know that your afternoons are very full with cheerleading

and other things that you do in your life,

and this is going to take a huge commitment.

l wanted to do this because l think that this would help everybody

stop and make sure that they know somebody

before they start thinking and saying,

and l know that l do that, and l think this group would really help me.

Very good...

When l started this project,

the person l was is not the person l am now.

lt's what you do with that charisma.

l was a new teacher, still trying to further her career

and figure out my teaching styles and what worked best for me,

not necessarily what worked best for the children.

l think you get so engrossed in what can you do to further your career,

and it becomes about you.

Rumors. We all know what they are.

We all probably have been subject to one or two in our life.

Does that make a difference in they way people think about you

and think about me?

Oh, yeah, it does.

When the project first began, l was very prejudiced in many areas

and was very quick to judge all races.

l was the typical Southern person, quick to judge and quick to stereotype.

As a teacher, l guess l'd listened to what everyone had said

about kids that age and pretty much had stereotyped

children, you know, in my classes.

l wouldn't take input from them.

l would tell them what l wanted them to know, and that was it.

You're going to come up with some really cool posters.

These children really wanted to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust.

That's why the second group in the Fall of 1999

added the Paper Clip project to their weekly meetings.

And with letters and paper clips coming in, it seemed to be catching on.

We first got a shipment of 100,000 paper clips.

They were very excited, and they thought they were off to a booming start.

We received that in one large shipment

from a gentleman in California, a jewelry designer.

And he called and he was all excited, so, for a couple of weeks there

we were real excited: ''Oh, we got 100,000, this is going very quickly.''

8,830.

And then we got into a huge lull

where we would go weeks and receive two letters.

And it's really hard to keep your optimism up,

your enthusiasm up, and to keep up the enthusiasm of 27 kids.

And we were just fiddling with some numbers, trying to determine

how long it was going to take us to get to 6 million at the current rate.

And it was gonna take us 10 years, and we just both shook our heads.

We knew we didn't have that much in us.

Sandy and l sat and looked at each other, and we said, ''Well, if we can collect

''1 .5 million for the children that were killed, that,'' you know,

''we'll probably be doing pretty good.''

Towards the end of 1999, l guess the project could have gone either way.

But no one was ready to give up on it just yet.

Fortunately, that's when Peter and Dagmar Schroeder came in.

Alcohol, how is it called?

Oh, moonshining. Moonshining. Yeah.

Oh, gosh. How do you describe Peter and Dagmar Schroeder?

lt's only a beginning now.

They contacted us in October of '99.

And the letter read, their friend,

who was a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor named Lena Gitter,

had found our project on the lnternet,

and she said, ''This is your assignment.''

We both are journalists, and we are here in the United States for 20 years.

We are White House correspondents.

Yes, Whitwell High.

And on the side we try to get a feel for this country.

ls this where they have the football game?

Yeah, there.

''Go, Tigers.'' ''Go, Tigers.''

As journalists, you always have this negative stuff you write about.

And then if you're getting older, like us, then it's the danger that you get cynical.

And that you don't believe in good stuff anymore.

ln the beginning, there was not much of paper clips.

They just have started to collect them.

We saw then, OK, we have to help the kids, and that we can do that.

And the Germans should be involved.

And we were talking to some people at the school,

and we asked, ''Can we come over? Can we visit you?''

So, and they said, ''Sure.''

Maybe it was not only an experience for us,

it was an experience for the children, too.

Because the children obviously had no idea what Germans looked like.

They asked their teacher, ''How do Germans look like?

Are they different from us?''

And then we came over,

and later they told us, ''You look quite normal.''

We lost our professionality right away when we saw the kids.

How can you be-- be professional,

when strange kids of 13 or 14 or 15 years old,

you have never seen in your life,

hug you and greet you like an old friend?

You can't.

Little Tiger.

You are number one. Give me five. Could you do that?

That's a little bit hard.

They came...

they saw...

they wrote.

They went back to Washington.

They sent Dita Smith with theiWashington Post[/l] to our school.

l did a little research on the town and the area

and realized that Dayton, Tennessee is only about 30 or 40 miles to the north,

where the famous Monkey Trial took place, otherwise known as the Scopes Trial,

where a teacher was tried for teaching Darwinian theories

rather than Christian theory of Creationism.

The other historical fact that l discovered when l was in Whitwell

was that the Ku Klux Klan was founded only about 100 miles away, in Pulaski.

Maybe when l got to Whitwell, l was a little bit prejudiced myself.

l expected a town that was close-minded, very Christian, very fundamentalist,

but l realized that, that in itself was my prejudice, not their prejudice.

After l went to Whitwell, l wrote my story...

and it appeared on Passover Day.

From NBC News World Headquarters in New York,

this is NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

The Holocaust.

The cold, calculated extermination of millions of Jews.

A great evil that must never be forgotten.

From a corner of Tennessee tonight, perhaps this generation is teaching us.

Well, it really started getting big

whenever, like, theiWashington iPost came down, and then NBC came,

and then people just started--

the paper clips just started coming in by the millions.

1 1 ,390.

Before theiWashington Post[/l] came, we probably had 150,000 paper clips.

Thirty.

Thirty-one.

Thirty-two.

Over a period of six weeks, we ended up with 24 million paper clips.

And we counted them all.

The grannies counted them.

The aunts counted them.

lt's heavy, so be careful.

Everybody was counting.

We checked in over 24 million paper clips...

and about 25,000 pieces of mail.

At first, when it went from maybe a tub or so,

which our regular mail carrier would take in his car every day,

it got to the point where we had hampers full,

and he couldn't load those hampers with the rest of his mail.

So, we had to call the middle school and inform them,

''Something's going on over here.

lnstead of us delivering your mail, you have to come to us to pick it up.''

Got something for you here from Germany, this suitcase right here.

That came in this morning.

- Looks old, too. - Yeah, it does looks vintage, doesn't it?

l see a paper clip hanging out the back.

There it is, right there.

That's wonderful, l can't wait to get in that.

Thanks. l appreciate it.

Alright, man, we'll see you later. Have a good day.

- You, too. - OK.

lt's sorted in two different crates:

Alabama through Montana and then Nebraska through Wyoming.

Foreign mail is all held in a separate crate.

They take every letter out.

They empty the paper clips out.

Once you get it sorted, then you sort it again by individual states.

And then they will grab a bundle,

go pull the log where they hand-record every address.

And they love the stamps.

They'll scrape the stamps off the envelopes and keep them,

because they come from Spain and Germany and New Zealand and England.

Every piece of paper, regardless of size, is kept.

lt is put in a plastic sleeve and stored in a notebook.

We are averaging filling up a three-inch binder every two days.

There was a time when we were just flooded with paper clips,

and l began l to think, ''My word, what have l unleashed here?'' You know?

lt's like you're in a flood and you're trying to stop it,

and yet you don't want it to stop, because coming with the flood

are all these important lessons.

lt's in German.

They're all addressed to ''Anne.''

This is Anne Frank.

This is awesome.

They've written little things to Anne Frank.

Somebody is interested enough in what we're doing

to take this kind of time.

l think it's amazing enough that they even know about it. You know?

There are people in Chattanooga, Tennessee

who don't know where Whitwell, Tennessee is.

- That's absolutely true. - That's true!

Most people are good, you know, like Anne Frank said in her diary.

You know, people at heart are good.

And when they see something like this happening that is good,

they want to be a part of it.

You know, the majority of people want to see things get better

and they want to see children in a good light instead of in a bad light.

This class in Germany has gotten a suitcase,

and they have packed it with messages.

Basically, they're all kind of asking for forgiveness from Anne Frank.

Now, l think everybody in here has either seen or readiThe iDiary of Anne Frank.

The gist of most of the messages is what this translation says:

''Dear Anne: You were brave and courageous.

''l think it is not good what Hitler did to the Jews.

Regardless of who we are or what we are, people are people.''

l believe people from the North and the West,

l believe when they look at children in the South,

they think, ''Dumb little redneck children.''

They're stereotyped, and that's what we're trying to teach in this project.

You can't stereotype anyone, because you yourself are stereotyped.

l am stereotyped, because l live in the South.

And, you know, l look at people that live in the North,

and l have a bad habit of doing it, l stereotype them...

and that's what we're trying to do, is break those stereotypes.

Listen to this letter.

''Shalom. l read on the lnternet about your assignment

''and was very moved by the idea of collecting 6 million paper clips

''in the memory of the 6 million.

''l look forward to seeing pictures of the completed project.

''The attached paper clip is in memory of a friend of my grandfather

whose name is forgotten and grave unknown.''

l think that it's beautiful that they don't know his name

and they don't know where his grave is,

and--but l think it's good that they're sending a paper clip

in remembrance of him.

Reading the letters, it's like you get to know people that aren't here anymore.

And l'm thinking about all the people, one by one,

that they each had families

and they each were brothers or sisters,

and they were daughters and sons.

l think for our children it was like an ice water bath

when the letters began to come.

As one of the kids said to me,

''Do you realize that there are people in this world

who never knew their grandparents?''

l don't think it had ever occurred to them that there were people in this world

who had nobody to care about them and who didn't have families.

''Dear Students: l am a daughter of two Holocaust survivors.

''l am so proud of what you're doing

''in memory of all who perished during the Holocaust.

''My parents, Kalmon and Louisa Gluck, survived many horrors

''during their internment under the Nazi regime.

''Many members of both my mother's and father's families died at the camps.

''l have enclosed 14 paper clips for four grandparents, a brother,

''seven aunts and uncles, and two cousins.

''l wish you the best of luck on your wonderful project.

Sincerely, Mrs. Sheila Gluck Levine.''

l grew up a child

who had no grandparents when others had them.

All l wanted was people.

l wanted them, and l never had them.

ln front of me, l have a prayer book

that my father took through the camps with him.

lt was given to him by a man who was being gassed,

and the man asked him, if he survived the camps,

that he should take it with him.

And this is something that has survived since my father was liberated in 1945

and has been in our family.

When my father passed away,

everyone got to feel where my father held this prayer book

and how tightly it must have been held.

l thank you so much for giving another way to say,

''l remember him, l remember my mother,

''the times in the camps,

and l also remember those we lost.''

Thank you.

Comes along the Spring of 2001 ,

the ''Greater Five Towns'' Holocaust Survivor Group in New York called us

and it seems that somehow they'd heard about the project.

And they wanted to know if they could come to Whitwell

and share their survivor stories with our children.

And the evening before they spoke to the children at the school,

they were invited to the First United Methodist Church

for the whole town to meet them.

They don't know what Whitwell is, and, you know,

they're coming from this huge urban area

and they're a little self-conscious or nervous about it.

You don't need to be nervous here. We're just home folk.

And we're just glad to have them here.

My name is Joe.

l'm a survivor.

l was in Auschwitz for three years.

l've got a number, the number is 1 -24-105.

And l'm glad that l can come and talk to you nice people.

Thank you.

l want to remind our members here

that our guests should be the first ones to go through the line tonight,

and let's have a moment of blessing together.

Our Father, we thank you especially for our guests this evening.

We ask your special special blessings on this food...

Good evening.

Wherever hatred and prejudice will,

it will find a wedge and a way into our lives.

But because of what these young people are doing,

we are understanding that there is another way,

and that is the way of love,

and we can reach out and embrace all people.

First thing l want to say, l wish the whole world was like you are.

l was born in Poland. My name is Bernard lgielski.

When the first survivor came, l think,

is when it really hit home what we were teaching.

We as Jews were singled out, put in a ghetto, had to wear a star...

And they spoke and gave us a real-life face to a story.

l said when l stood in Auschwitz

and l've seen that big chimney smoking day and night...

And we didn't really understand until that point

that what we were teaching, you know, wasn't just book learning.

lt was-- this had actually happened, and this person lived through it.

And instead of being afraid, shielding your children,

prepare, prepare them for the real world.

Yes, there are not nice things out there, but if they will be prepared,

they will be able to do the right thing.

Thank you.

Future generations will have to learn about the Holocaust

from the textbooks.

We are the eye witnesses that can, to a certain degree,

tell you what took place.

l was born in a small town in Poland.

The one who stood out for me was Sam.

He was like a grandfather, a great-grandfather.

He just, when he-- he'd look at you,

and he'd just make you feel all warm and loving inside toward him.

l was with my brother.

My brother was three years older than l am.

But l had no idea...

When they first arrived to Auschwitz,

Sam and his brother and his mother and his little brother

met up with the Doctor Mengele.

He was the one who chose left or right.

And he sent his mother and little brother left,

and he sent Sam and his brother right.

And so Sam did not know what had happened.

And after they had went through the showers,

Sam found a guard and asked him.

And l asked him, l said, ''Please tell me. We arrived last night,

''and l arrived with my mother and my brother.

''Where are they?

What happened to them?''

And that man shows me smoke coming out from a chimney.

l did not understand what that means...

until l found out that that chimney's from a crematorium.

l was thinking what it would have been like if that was me in his place

and my family and my brothers and my mom,

and l was just thinking how horrible that would have been.

And l'll never know what he went through.

And l only pray to God

that my brother should not have been sent to such a place,

because he would not survive.

To actually see someone who had been through the things that l read about,

that was really hard.

But-- l just, as a mother, l kept trying to imagine what that would be like,

to have my kids taken away from me like that or, l mean,

just not to know where they were.

l think that struck me about as hard as anything.

l will tell you one thing.

Everyone survivor got a story.

There's not enough paper in the whole world,

and not enough pens to write down what these survivors went through.

Thank you.

This is a loving community.

And l look at it as, l mean, there's no place in the world

that this would have been any more appropriate to start...

because this Holocaust project is a project about love...

and tolerance...

and what better place to start than Whitwell, Tennessee?

Please stand for the National Anthem.

l pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

This is our monument of shoes.

lt commemorates the Jews that are in some of the death camps.

The morning after the survivors spoke at the First United Methodist Church,

they came to our school because they wanted to see first-hand

what the children were doing with this project

and have a special time with these students.

lt is important to me to tell these stories,

because there are people in the world which are denying that it ever took place.

ln order to annihilate us and erase any trace of whatever happened,

at least that was their intentions,

we were put on a dead march

and usually we marched during the night, mostly,

so we wouldn't be visible to the general public.

Most of us didn't make it.

The Americans, they showed themselves on the horizon,

and l ran out of camp, and l was hiding, so l spent the night over there

and l wouldn't dare go out, and l waited until the next day.

l had to risk it, and l went out. The Americans were there.

And l was a free person to do what l...

But l'm still here.

That's the main thing.

l want you all to know, l came here to the United States in 1948,

and l've been the happiest ever.

l want you to know happiness makes me cry more than anything else.

l never have thought about it this way before,

but after l heard his speech and how emotional he got,

it really touched me.

l just can't imagine just one day being at home

and the next day being shipped off to a concentration camp

and being tortured like that.

lt just makes no sense why people in the world let that happen.

lt made me realize, the next time l say the Pledge of Allegiance,

l'm going to think of how glad l am that it's a free country

and l had the right to do what l feel and say what l say and l just--

being much more respectful to it.

When l was finished, l was--

they embraced me and hugged me and kissed me.

They couldn't-- and they never heard these, so some of them cried, even.

Because they never heard stories like this here,

and they were never in contact with people that experienced it.

To me, they're my heroes, because they've been through everything.

l'm going to take what they've told me and pass it down with my kids

to their grandchildren and so on, and to my friends and my family,

where they will always remember that this horrible thing happened,

and hopefully they can prevent it from ever happening again.

They're learning from what we're teaching, and they're teaching others.

And that's the whole point of this project, to teach their children

and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren.

Growing up in the South, growing up in rural Tennessee, as l have,

l've been exposed to a lot of racial remarks.

You know, my dad is the greatest man on earth.

And l have no doubt of that.

But he has a bias,

and he can make racial slurs,

and it's not anything against him.

Going into college, l had an African-American roommate

and loved him like a brother and still do.

But it was nothing for me to-- even sometimes in his presence,

say racial slurs or-- and l look back now, and l--

l hope that it didn't, l guess--

l hope it didn't hurt him.

This is one of your favorites, isn't it, Cody?

lt's your favorite, too.

Yeah, it is, and it was one of my favorites when l was little.

And now, this project, l see things like that.

''Hit the ball,'' said Danny.

''Hit a homerun,'' said the dinosaur.

lt makes me, you know, very aware.

And l make sure, with two small sons, that l don't say it.

l don't want them to grow up and say that, and say, ''Well, my father said this,''

because that would...

that would be the worst thing they could say.

Good night.

See you boys in the morning, OK?

Say your prayers before you go to sleep.

By the time the survivors visited us,

we had more than four times the number of paper clips

that we originally set out to collect.

There was not a place in this school, not even the broom closet,

that wasn't just flooded with paper clips.

And we were at dinner one night with the Schroeders,

and conversation was just flowing, and Linda, just in between bites, said...

''You know what l really wish we could have?

''l wish that we could have an authentic German railcar of the period

to house our paper clips as a permanent memorial.''

And conversation just stopped.

And we all kind of looked at each other and thought, ''Oh, a railcar.

Oh, we have to have a railcar.''

And the Schroeders were like, ''This is the idea.

''We will find a railcar.

We promise you, we will find a railcar.''

l think when the decision was made to get the railcar

and the Schroeders jumped in and volunteered to find one,

l really don't think they knew what they were getting into.

Oh my God, we wrote to everyone and his brother and asked him,

''Do you know where a cattle car like this is?''

And everyone and his brother wrote us back,

''There are no such things.''

And then we decided to look for it ourselves.

And we went on a detective tour.

We drove 3,000 miles criss-cross through Germany

and went to every railyard we can imagine.

And, kaboom, we found one.

This car has a long history.

lt was built in 191 7...

then, in 1933, Nazism came...

and then it transported victims to concentration camps...

and then it went on another journey...

and the journey was from north of Berlin, from the railroad museum,

to the German port of Cuxhaven.

Well, the Schroeders called us one day at school

and said that they were successful in finding a car.

And they said it would be a short time that they would ship the car

from Germany to the United States, to the port of Baltimore.

Come on in, we've got chairs.

At 10:00 a.m. on November the 9th, we hope to dedicate this railcar.

When we got to a certain point in establishing this memorial,

we realized we needed lots and lots of help,

so we said, ''OK, we're going to have a community meeting.''

Right now we have on this property 27 plus million paper clips.

We've got to have help.

We've got to have a parking committee.

We have to have a landscaping committee.

lt's got to look pretty around it now.

We also have to figure out how to get the paper clips in there.

You know, you're talking about 22 metric tons, you know.

l have a hard time visualizing my fat self, much less 22 metric tons. OK.

Now, we'll type these committees up.

We'll send all of you darlings a copy,

so don't you leave here until we get your address.

lf you want to see where it's going, come out here and l'll show you.

We had children from all the previous groups show up

and they brought their parents with them,

and they saw that other people in the community came,

people they knew would be working to get this thing going.

This community is going to have a piece of living history

like no other communities have.

No large urban areas,

nobody else has a piece of history like we're going to have here.

The car will sit approximately halfway between this point...

Sometimes when l think about this project,

l think, ''Who is really in charge of this project?''

...cannot be closer than 20 feet to that wall.

People who are interested in this project

will call me up and say, ''What's your plan?''

Well, l've never had a plan.

What do we know about building a memorial?

What do l know about getting a railcar from Germany?

l think that there's a far greater power than the people at Whitwell Middle School

in charge of this project.

And, if not, you tell me how we got this far.

l said, ''God created the world in less than seven days,''

and someone said, ''Yes, and he didn't have Linda Hooper helping him.''

You have certain feelings when you see a car like this,

and you can't help but remember what happened in this car

Our work is done, l think.

We brought the car over, and that's it.

You think so? l don't think so.

- l hope so. - l don't think so.

lt will stay with us forever.

That's possible.

We thought, ''We have seen this cattle car now numerous times.

''We know this cattle car.

lt can't do anything to us.''

Then you realize what this car actually means.

This car transported people to concentration camps.

They put in 80, 90, 1 10 people.

They suffocated in these cattle cars, and one quarter of every victim--

of all the victims were children.

Now it is here in Baltimore, and then it goes down to Chattanooga

and to Whitwell...

but this will be the end of this car's journey.

This car will not transport people anymore.

This car will be a symbol.

Symbols make us think.

Symbols can change the world.

And sometimes symbols are all we have to help us maintain our resolve...

even on our darkest and our most tragic days.

The sun came up on Monday morn

The world was all in flames

lt's all a mortal man can do

To make it right again

Swing and turn, Jubilee

Live and learn, Jubilee

The time has come to travel on

l made my way alone

Souls will mend at journey's end

This road will take me home

Swing and turn, Jubilee

Live and learn, Jubilee

Swing and turn, Jubilee

Live and learn, Jubilee

When l first saw the car, it moved me almost to tears.

That's the reason l went up and laid my hands on the car to start with.

To sort of, you know, in my mind go over what's happened with this car

and what it's meant to history,

and what it means to me personally.

And then when it came here and l got to look inside it, it just--

you know, it killed me.

lt's unbelievable the thoughts that go through your head.

l was one of the first to actually stand in the railcar.

The floor was sort of rotten, and you had to watch where you stepped.

But just the thought of 100 people fitting in that small area is just,

it's heartbreaking.

And Miss Hooper got up there with me, and she just burst into tears.

When people began to climb into the railcar,

l just-- l couldn't handle that...

because to me it had a life of its own, and l have never been in that car yet

that l don't hear those voices...

and feel that pain.

lt survived in the face of overwhelming odds,

and now it's come home.

Cassie and l were standing in the car today,

and we kind of had our hands on the car.

And she said, ''What would it tell us if it could talk?''

l said, ''Cassie, it would tell us you're paying homage to people

''who suffered simply because of the way they believed,

and because of hatred and ignorance.''

This is all about not only mourning their loss,

but celebrating their life.

What l did think that day is,

''From now on, you will not be an instrument of pain.

''Your history as a death car is erased...

''and now you are a car of new life...

''and you're going to stand here, and you're going to say,

'Thereiis[/l] good in this world.'''

From now until November 9th, it will be a work in progress.

lt's hard for me to understand the enormity of this project,

of how many people know about it,

you know, how far this project has reached.

Behind each side there will be 5 � million paper clips.

And l look at these people that are right here today,

and they're as excited about this as l am.

We're doing it on a volunteer basis and...

just for the town and for the people.

The whole community is involved in it,

and what little bit we can contribute, why, l'm glad to do so.

The idea for the butterfly came when Miss Hooper told me

that a young person from Poland had written a poem

and he lived in a ghetto.

And he said in the poem, ''l may never live to see another butterfly.''

Butterflies are a symbol of freedom...

and they are a symbol of this project.

When you think about all the people that died,

l'm honoring those people with these butterflies...

more or less honoring them with wings...

so they can fly.

Once we received all of the paper clips

or the paper clips slowed to a very manageable amount,

we were well over 29 million paper clips.

So, when it came time to load the railcar with the paper clips,

the children were extremely selective.

We'll just start here. Alison, 4500...

They wanted to be sure that gifts from as many people as possible

would go into the memorial.

So they took paper clips from lots of different donations.

We decided that we should put a total of 1 1 million paper clips into the car...

That's good.

...six million to represent the Jewish people who were murdered

and five million representing the homosexuals, the gypsies,

and the Jehovah's Witnesses and all the other people

known to have been killed by Hitler's regime.

This project had been the focus of my life for four years.

l was Miss Roberts, the Paper Clip Lady.

But l can look at this child or this child,

and if that one child's life was changed, then it was worth it.

l think when you look at these paper clips,

the purpose of it is to remember

those lives that were exterminated during the Holocaust.

lt just overwhelms you.

What if those people had not been exterminated?

Who was destroyed there?

Was it another wonderful teacher?

Was it an artist?

And l think of all the grandchildren that never came to be,

all the children that never came to be.

''What a wonderful way to remember the 6 million souls that perished

''in Nazi death camps during World War ll.

''This especially touches me, because 51 years ago,

''about two weeks after the war in Europe ended,

''l flew in as part of a rescue team

''to bring food, medicine, medical assistance

to the then recently-liberated Mauthausen death camp near Lintz, Austria.''

As we went by the medical center, l believe that this young lady

saw the mezuzah l was wearing.

She was very emaciated.

l would say she was probably 20 years old, my age at the time,

but l do remember to this day her very, very large, beautiful brown eyes

who looked probably more beautiful because her face was so thin,

and she said to me in Yiddish...

...which means 'Are you Jewish?' which l am, and she took my hands,

clasped them and kissed them.

As weak as she was holding my hand,

l felt that it became weaker, and then we had to move on.

And then it was time to leave.

And l went by the medical building, and l asked how the young lady was.

That's when they told me her name was Malka, and they said,

''She died shortly after you left.''

And l had not mentioned this to anyone,

even my wife and my children didn't know that story.

l had great difficulty.

l actually broke down and cried, and l don't cry easily,

but that was the first time since it happened

that l let it out of me.

The letter was so much of a closure for me.

Because Malka has found a resting place, a final resting place,

not in Austria, not in Germany, not in Poland,

but Appalachia Tennessee.

And l can't get over that.

lt's giving her a resting place among young people who love her

and have compassion for her...

and you couldn't ask for a better resting place than that.

And...

this one represents Malka, the lady at Mauthausen.

And we're going to treat these paper clips like the children have said--

one of them said to me, ''Ms. Hooper, when you touch these...

...can you feel the souls?''

Well, yes, you can feel the souls, because most of them came with a letter

that told you about the soul that paper clip represented.

And, you know, if we accomplish nothing else,

we have helped these people find a resting place

for something that was important to them.

So she had never displayed, never done any sculpture before.

They're great. They are great.

Oh, my God.

My God.

lt's good. lt's really good.

lt's really good.

Now that l've had these kids and spent all these hours with them,

l see that they have a lot of input to give,

and that l was very, very quick to judge.

l listen to what they say, and l value their input.

lt's a gift to me. lt's a gift to my children.

Because it's made me a better dad, better father, better teacher, better man.

Good morning.

l am so grateful to live in the United States of America.

l have such joy for all the love and the work that has gone into this project,

and l have such pride that l live in a community

where a group of very ordinary people

could bring to reality such an extraordinary event.

My heart is absolutely filled and overflowing with joy and pride.

l love this community, and l love these children in this school.

There are so many people here today that deserve a hug.

To each one of you, we say thank you for giving your time and your talents.

l also would like to recognize David Smith and Sandra Roberts.

Get up, guys.

l have learned more from this project than l ever could have taught.

lt has very slowly become not about me.

And our Holocaust students.

Stand up.

lt's about, what will the students gain from this, what will they learn,

and what will they take from this into their future lives?

You will come at one time in your life, and believe me, this point will come.

You come to a point where you think everything goes wrong,

nothing-- nobody loves you, you are lost or you might be a failure,

and then please come back to your memorial.

This is what you did and accomplished.

Come to this place, and it will uplift you,

and l hope then you will try again.

And l'm pretty sure that you will succeed again.

Whitwell is a place that brings out the best of all of us.

Thank you for that, and we love you.

''When the living say this prayer, they remember the dead.

''ln remembering the dead,

''we remember the values that they have taught us.

''The students from the Davis Academy in Atlanta, Georgia,

will now lead us in the Kaddish.''

We will not forget you

Don't let the memory disappear

Don't let the memory disappear

The job of collecting paper clips is over,

but the job of educating others will never be over.

And l think our job now is to give tours of the railcar

and to branch off into other schools

and teach our lessons of the Holocaust.

They would stand at roll call between 5 and 6 hours

to count how many people were there.

When we have field trips and the teachers say, ''What do we need to do?''

and l say, ''Nothing.''

You might want to take your group out to the railcar

and walk them out there.

And l say, ''You're not a teacher today, you're just an observer.

These children will teach.''

And they teach.

How many people was actually here during the Holocaust?

80 to 100 people.

The Norwegians wore paper clips like we're doing now?

On their collars.

''My dear friends from Whitwell: words can only inadequately describe

''what your extraordinary project means to me,

''a Holocaust survivor and teacher.

''l witnessed what intolerance and indifference can lead to.

''ln a short while, l will be 95 years of age.

''l am thankful that late in life

''l can see and hear that the teaching of tolerance

''is still alive and well and bears fruit.

''When l heard about your project, l cried.

''l cried because you are the testament that a new age has dawned,

''the age of responsibility

''and the age of kindness of the heart.

''You are living proof that each and every one of us

''can make a difference and do his part to shape a better world.

''When you ask the young and innocent, they will do the right thing.

''With tears in my eyes, l bow my head before you.

''Shalom.

Lena L. Gitter.''

l just can't wait until l get to college

and they ask me if you've ever had a life-changing moment.

The first thing that's going to come out of my mouth is going to be

the Whitwell Middle School Holocaust project.

l just cannot wait until that moment happens.

ln the future, when l do come back and see it,

knowing that l was here to do this, it will be like, not just a memory,

but kind of in your heart to know

that you've changed the way people think about other people.

To think that us, people from Whitwell, Tennessee,

if we have made such a big difference,

think what the rest of the world could do if they tried.

Not only did we educate other people about the Holocaust,

but we educated ourselves.

We'll never look at a paper clip the same way again.