BURRELL, Pa. — A new Girl Scouts patch has been unveiled to encourage young girls to learn more about a woman’s role during the Holocaust. The creator of the patch is an 18-year-old who lives in Burrell.
“I got to experience a part of my community that I would have never gotten to see,” said Lily Sassani, the Holocaust Education Patch Creator.
Sassani has been a Girl Scout since she was in Elementary School. She was the only Jewish girl in her community and recently discovered a way to acknowledge her family’s heritage.
“I thought we could make something out of this! We could make a patch,” Sassani said. “We can educate younger girls, because I think that’s important to teach younger girls about the Holocaust. So, I figured that would be a great way to create sustainable change and connect me with my communities.”
Every week for two years, Lily met with the Pittsburgh Holocaust Center to develop the patch with Emily Loeb and Julia Gaetano. She received a grant from the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh, and in early December, her patch was unveiled for all to see.
“Girls younger than I were risking and losing their lives to save people and protect humanity during the war,” Sassani said. “I think that’s amazing and that’s the side of the Holocaust we don’t really get to see, the civilian side.”
Lily’s hard work and dedication will soon be available to Girl Scouts around the world. They’ve already received inquiries from Texas, California, and even places as far as Australia.
“If there’s other girls feeling like this, this project could help them know that they’re not alone and that there is a role in history that we played where we were saving lives,” Sassani said.
For Girl Scout troops who are interested in pursuing the patch, click here. Girl Scouts
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