By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH, California — “You’re a liar. Get out of my classroom!” These words were hurled at Danna Horwood, during a recent presentation of her grandparents’ life story. Sentiments such as these have caused Horwood to take up the mantle and teach our youth about the Holocaust, so that it can never happen again.
To achieve this monumental task, Danna Horwood created Margaret’s Legacy, an umbrella agency that seeks to provide Holocaust education through tools such as the video ‘Margaret and Arthur’s Story.’ In 2008, Danna’s grandmother passed away. Danna’s 11 year old daughter, Sari, posed the question innocently enough, “Why don’t I know Grandma and Grandpa’s Holocaust story?” Horwood realized that, she too, had little information about the harrowing experiences her grandparents had had before liberation.
Danna’s grandfather survived his wife, and Danna interviewed him for nine hours, piecing together the horrors and triumphs of the couple’s life in Europe, and eventually their move to Hamilton, Ontario. Following these revelations, Horwood made the film about her grandparents, Margaret and Arthur Weisz, chronicling their lives from Hungary and eventually to Canada.
In a phone interview, last week, Horwood shared with me that when her grandmother passed away, she not only lost a relative, but one of her closest friends. It was this intimate connection that led Danna to quit her job as a personal shopper, and pursue her purpose: to educate people about the Holocaust. Her grandmother had told her, “You need to make a difference.”
Horwood took these words to heart and created a foundation that is devoted to teaching Muslims, Christians and Jews about the atrocities visited upon so many during the 1930s and 1940s. She tours schools, synagogues, churches and mosques, speaking, showing the short film and answering questions.
The response has been unbelievable and Danna told me that she is often up until three a.m. responding to emails from children who’ve seen her presentation and this touching film. Just recently, Danna hired an assistant to help her with the extraordinary volume of mail.
Horwood’s own children are also dedicated to spreading the message, and she believes they will carry on her work going forward. To date, the filmmaker has traveled far and wide to share her message and she knows she is making a difference each time she presents. From Miami, to New York, and around Canada, youngsters are exposed to the true story of a very dark era. The discussions that flow from the film resonate within all communities and lead to greater compassion and will hopefully lead to increased empathy and tolerance.
Margaret’s Legacy brought the 35-minute film to a Catholic school in Hamilton and the students were incredulous. They asked Danna to return with a follow up visit. Even the tenth grade student who called Danna a liar was able to understand that she had been misguided, and that Hitler’s atrocities were all too real. The girl’s father was awed by Danna’s presentation, and capitulated, ‘She’s not lying, is she?” Horwood told me that as Syrian refugees face some of the same hurdles, we must take a global view, and each of us must help each other overcome the inhumanity.
The foundation relies upon word of mouth for bookings. There is no fee or charge for engaging Margaret’s Legacy to present to schools, houses of worship, or other forums. A donation to the foundation is requested. Danna, along with other trained presenters, will travel to any state to share their efforts and ignite a worldwide commitment to ending genocides and increasing awareness of past events.
Horwood can be reached by emailing www.margaretslegacy.com,
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Trieger is a freelance writer who specializes in the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com . Comments intended for publication in the space below must be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the U.S.)