One high school student's mission to combat hate

One million paper clips are piled high on black construction paper on the stage, lit by a spotlight. Above it, the flickering black and white film of Jews walking to their deaths in a Nazi concentration camp is being shown on a theater-sized screen. And standing in front of the stage is the 17-year-old Edgewater High School senior who orchestrated this scene, along with several other exhibits that make a powerful stand against antisemitism and all sorts of hate. 

The first thing you notice about Adam Mendelsohn is his hair. Standing at six feet tall, Mendelsohn adds another two inches with his wild dark brown curls, complimented with a gray yarmulke perched in the back. As the organizer of the Jan. 9 "Hate Ends Now" community event, Mendelsohn radiates a confidence and maturity that is unusual in such a young man.

This past summer, Mendelsohn attended a meeting of the local Jewish Student Union. Founded in 2002, the organization oversees 200 Jewish culture clubs on public high school campuses to provide Jewish teens with programs that strengthen their Jewish identity and connection to Israel. On that day, Rabbi Daniel Nabatian, the co-director of the Central Florida branch, encouraged the students to make an impact - no matter how small - to fight against the rising wave of antisemitism that had gripped the world since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Mendelsohn was determined to bring the JSU message to Edgewater High School students and staff. Following up on his memory of a similar exhibit, he contacted Hate Ends Now, a nonprofit whose mission is to combat hatred and indifference by educating people about the history of the Holocaust and all forms of bigotry. The organization offered not only artifacts from the Holocaust but also an exact replica of a World War II-era cattle car that was used to transport Jews and other targeted groups to concentration and death camps. A 20-minute, 360-degree immersive presentation offers an impactful educational experience. With the support of Edgewater's principal, Dr. Alex Jackson, and his assistant, Valerie Lopez, Mendelsohn worked with Todd Cohn, the CEO of the nonprofit, to schedule the event in Orlando for Jan. 9, 2025. 

Mendelsohn then started a fundraising campaign to pay for the cattle car and other expenses. Thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, including the Ginsberg Family Foundation and Massey Services, he raised over $30,000, enough to cover most of the expenses.

Mendelsohn's next step was to contact local organizations whose mission aligned with the core values of the event to sign on. Participants included the Jewish Student Union; Chabad C-Teen; Shalom Orlando; the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida; the Anti-Defamation League; and Central Florida Pledge, a network of community members in Florida who stand up against discrimination and hate.

Mendelsohn now began the search for a Holocaust survivor. Jasmine Flores, the community relations manager for the Greater Orlando Massey Services, connected Mendelsohn with Ludwig (Lou) Ziemba, an 82-year-old Kissimmee resident, through her involvement in Maitland Rotary. Ziemba was born in the Lodz Ghetto on Sept. 9, 1942, one day before 13,000 children under 10 were to be sent to an extermination camp. Arrangements were made for the infant to be hidden in a garbage truck and smuggled outside the Ghetto where a Christian Polish farmer retrieved him and took him home to be raised as his own. Miraculously, his parents survived and were able to retrieve their "hidden child" when they were freed three years later. 

The paper clip exhibit was a last-minute miraculous addition to the event. On Sunday, through a conversation with Beth Landa, Ziemba's wife, Mendelsohn learned about "Paper Clips," a documentary that highlighted the 1998 efforts of middle school students from Whitwell, Tennessee, to collect six million paper clips representing the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. (According to Wikipedia, at last count, over 30 million paper clips had been received.) The documentary is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.

A preliminary research of the documentary compelled Mendelsohn to see if he could locate a low-cost source of paper clips. He found the manufacturing plant of Bulk Office Supplies in Tampa but it was closed for the weekend. Undeterred, he located the name of the founder and owner of the company, Alex Minzer, on Facebook. Encouraged by Minzer's "Never Again," hat, Mendelsohn messaged him and Minzer answered almost immediately, explaining that he sold the company to Levi Haller, who was currently in Jerusalem. Minzer helped connect Mendelsohn with a wholesaler in Tampa who would provide the paper clips at cost - and later that same day Haller reached out to Mendelsohn to say that he decided that Bulk Office Supply would donate the one million paper clips, inspired as he was by the project's mission and Mendelsohn's passion.

Next problem: How would the paper clips get from Tampa to Edgewater in time? Fortunately, Mendelsohn's father, Jason, was returning from a business trip on Florida's west coast the Wednesday before the event. Mendelsohn quickly did the math, his favorite subject, to confirm all the boxes would fit into his father's car. All good! The clips were successfully delivered at 1 p.m., only 28 hours before the event was scheduled to open.

Mendelsohn and a group of student volunteers began the tedious task of opening the 10,000 small boxes of 100 paper clips and piling them onto a 7X7 foot square of construction paper that had been placed on the stage in the school's auditorium. When the school day ended at 2 p.m., Mendelsohn stayed on, working alone and then with his father, until 8 p.m. "When I left, I looked at the pile and despaired," said Mendelsohn. "I had no idea how the project could be completed." 

Mendelsohn returned to EHS the next morning at 5 a.m. By school opening, the whole student body was aware of the urgency to finish the job. "It was crazy!" Mendelsohn said. "Students were rotating in and out of the auditorium to provide help over the next several hours."

The pile was completed at 1 p.m., 24 hours after the initial delivery. "I now hate paper clips," Mendelsohn said with a laugh.

At 5 p.m., the doors opened to the public. Over 500 people attended the three-hour event. They perused the display tables, munched sandwiches provided by Kosher Grill, listened intently to Ziemba, looked over the chilling artifacts on the Hate Ends Now tables, sat in the quiet auditorium to contemplate the million paper clips, and at scheduled times viewed the powerful immersive presentation in the cattle car parked just outside Edgewater's entrance. 

Dignitaries included Congressman Maxwell Frost, Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, staffers sent on behalf of Senator Rick Scott and Congressman Darren Soto, and members of the EHS school board. 

"This is an incredibly powerful experience," said Frost. "I believe that every high school student should have the opportunity to witness the horrors of this tragic time in world history through such exhibits. This event serves as a reminder that when we lead with love, we can stop hate in all forms and make sure this type of history never repeats itself." 

Ziemba found sharing his story with a large and diverse audience to be exhilarating. Despite his history, Ziemba still believes love will prevail. 

"Try to accept everybody," Ziemba told Orlando's Spectrum Cable News reporter Sasha Teman. "I know I grew up loving people, and I still love people."

Mendelsohn is grateful to all involved in making the Hate Ends Now project a success. He also plans on sharing the message beyond high school.

"Barriers which prevent love and peace can be destroyed by understanding that we are all the same," he said. "I plan on carrying the torch of compassion, acceptance and tolerance throughout my life." 

And the one million paper clips? Plans are underway for the clips to be gathered in a lucite case with signage that will be placed in the Edgewater High School's entrance hall. Mendelsohn's hope to make a difference, to combat hate of all kinds, will now be his lasting legacy.

Those who wish to make a contribution to Hate Ends Now in honor of Adam Mendelsohn and his project, please go to https://www.hateendsnow.org.