February 2026
| Report from Anton Krupenia Principal, Herzlia Weizmann School Cape Town South Africa |
In My Pocket Project with the Grade 5s Last Friday, our Grade 5s participated in the “In My Pocket” Project, a moving educational experience facilitated by former Capetonians Eli and Jill Rabinowitz. The project centres on the story of Dorrith M. Sim, who was just seven years old when she fled Nazi Germany in 1939. Her book, written specifically for children, chronicles her journey on the Kindertransport, a rescue mission that brought nearly 10 000 refugee children to Great Britain just before the outbreak of World War II. Through Dorrith’s story, the children explored profound themes of identity, courage, and the enduring plight of refugees. The project provided a bridge between historical events and modern-day displacement, emphasising the importance of diversity and empathy. As Dorrith herself reflected: “We were each given a place on a Kindertransport out of Nazi Europe. After the war, some of us were reunited with our families. Sadly, many of us were not… we either stayed in our new countries where we grew up, or went to live in different countries all over the world.” To bring these themes to life, each pupil received a mini-copy of the book and engaged in two meaningful activities:Artistic Design: The Grade 5s painted and designed their own “pockets,” based on ideas they gleaned from the story.Reflective Writing: Children wrote about what they would choose to carry in their own pockets if they were in Dorrith’s shoes, forced to leave everything they knew behind.We encourage you to talk with your child about their experience with this project; we are certain they have meaningful insights to share. |
Kind regards
ANTON KRUPENIA
Principal
October 2025
Our Year 6 students absolutely loved the In My Pocket incursion.
The story and artwork were powerful, engaging, and age-appropriate, helping students connect emotionally to real historical experiences in a way they could truly understand.
The session sparked deep discussion about kindness, courage, and empathy — themes that continued long after the incursion ended.
The creative pocket-painting activity allowed every student to express their understanding through colour and emotion, making the experience both meaningful and memorable.
In My Pocket is a beautifully delivered program that brings history, art, and emotional literacy together in an inspiring way.
I highly recommend it to other schools.
— Ashley Scott-Griffiths
Year 6 Teacher, West Northam Primary School
Endorsement from Moriah College Sydney Australia
As part of their Project Heritage journey, our Year 6 students took part in a powerful workshop called ‘In My Pocket’, where they explored the extraordinary story of Dorrith Sim – a child refugee who survived the Holocaust and found a new life in Scotland.
Through her moving autobiographical picture book, students connected with Dorrith’s experiences of rescue, resilience, and hope. Inspired by her story, they channeled their creativity into designing symbolic pockets that represent her journey and memory.
WE ARE HERE! Foundation guides students through this meaningful and memorable learning experience.
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Jandakot Primary School
The In My Pocket incursion proved to be an exceptionally engaging and meaningful experience for our Year 5 & Year 6 students. From the outset, the session linked seamlessly with what students had been covering in class, particularly their prior learning around migration. This allowed them to draw strong and insightful connections between the Stolen Generation in Australia and the experiences of children in Germany who were evacuated through the Kindertransport. The parallels encouraged empathy and a deeper understanding of how displacement and forced separation shaped children’s lives across different contexts.
A real strength of the incursion lay in the questioning strategies used throughout the session. Students were challenged to go beyond surface-level comprehension and instead analyse the deeper meaning within the illustrations of the picture book In My Pocket. These carefully scaffolded questions sparked rich discussions, where students confidently shared interpretations, asked further questions of each other, and made links between visual literacy and historical events.
The hands-on activity, where students designed and painted their own pockets, was a highlight. This creative task gave them the opportunity to apply their understanding in a personal and symbolic way. By illustrating what they would hold in their own “pockets,” students explored themes of memory, belonging, and identity, which reinforced the emotional and historical dimensions of the incursion in a highly engaging and student-centred manner.
Overall, the In My Pocket incursion not only supported key curriculum outcomes but also provided a powerful, thought-provoking, and creative experience that will stay with our students long after the session.
Kind Regards,
Miss Chloe Short
Classroom Teacher
Jandakot Primary School, Success WA 6164
Website: https://jandakotps.wa.edu.au
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Re: Letter of Support for the In My Pocket Program
I am writing to express our strong support for the In My Pocket program and to commend its significant contribution to the educational development of our students, particularly in Year 6.
As a Year 6 teacher at Wesley College, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impact this program has had on our curriculum and student engagement. The In My Pocket program has enriched our teaching of World War II history, particularly through its exploration of the Kindertransport. This historical context has deepened students’ understanding of refugees and migrants, and the push factors that influenced their journeys.
Moreover, the program’s use of visual literacy through the study of the picture book has been invaluable. It has not only enhanced students’ analytical skills but also fostered empathy and a deeper sense of community through thoughtful discussion and reflection.
A particularly powerful component of the program was the art activity, which provided students with a meaningful opportunity to express their understanding and emotions through a creative medium. This alternative form of expression allowed students to process complex themes in a personal and imaginative way, reinforcing their learning and emotional connection to the subject matter.
The outcomes of this program have been both educational and emotional, equipping students with a broader worldview and a more compassionate perspective. We believe that continued support and expansion of the In My Pocket program will benefit many more students and educators across the region.
We wholeheartedly support this initiative and recommend it without reservation.
Yours sincerely,
Michaela Hammersley-Ellis (She/Her)
Teacher (Middle School)
South Perth WA 6151
Carmel School Perth Western Australia
A huge thank you to Jill Reitstein Rabinowitz and Eli Rabinowitz for leading yesterday’s ‘In My Pocket’ professional development session, which gave the Primary School staff the opportunity to learn deeply about the Kindertransport, and the rescue mission that brought thousands of Jewish children to safety before World War II.
Through powerful storytelling and historical insight with Michele Galanti, staff explored the lives of children, specifically Dorrith Sim who were forced to leave everything behind, often carrying just a small bag or item in their pocket.
Inspired by the session, staff crafted their own creative symbolic “pockets”, each one telling a story and collectively reinforcing a strong sense of unity and collegiality within the Kindergarten to Year 6 team.
Thank you again to Jill and Eli for for guiding us through this moving and significant story with such thoughtfulness.
A teacher’s feedback
Dear Jill and Eli,
Words feel too small to capture the enormity of what you’ve accomplished.
Your professional development presentation around the Kindertransport during the Shoah was nothing short of extraordinary. Taking ‘In My Pocket’ and breathing life into its pages, transforming it from a story into a deeply immersive historical experience for children in 2025, is a profound act of both courage and compassion.
The depth of your research and the intentionality in your delivery created a space where heartbreak met understanding. You took a topic steeped in unimaginable pain and made it tangible in the gentlest, most respectful way. The accompanying activity was not just thoughtful, it was transformative. It no doubt allows young minds to connect, question, and feel. You’ve planted seeds of empathy and awareness that will blossom for years to come.
You’ve left an enormous imprint on my heart, and I know I’m not alone in that.
With deep admiration and gratitude
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Carmel School Staff’s Social Media Post with more images
Chris Waters:
Bayswater Primary School
German Ambassador Grzeski’s Visit to Perth – May 2025
In My Pocket Highlights at the Ambassador’s reception at UWA
Photos by Matt Jelonek
Introduction
Jill’s presentation
Scootle
In My Pocket project is now on Scootle
Scootle is a national digital learning repository which provides Australian teachers with access to digital learning items, provided by a wide array of contributors and aligned to core areas of the Australian Curriculum.
The German Embassy in Australia
The Goethe Institute
Jill & Eli with Tanya Colgan, German Teacher & Goethe Institute Representative
The King David School
Melbourne
Wesley College Perth
60 Kelvin Street, Maylands WA 6051
maylandspeninsula.ps@education.wa.edu.au
To Whom it May Concern.
My class has been fortunate enough to have had Jill and Eli come in and share the story In My Pocket with them. We have now done the workshop for two years and have just made a booking for 2025. The story aligns perfectly with our curriculum and engages the students considerably in many ways.
Having them create their own art piece and given a free copy of the book is something you don’t often receive with incursions.
I would fully recommend, and constantly do to my teaching friends, having this incursion come to a school and help further consolidate the students learning of the various situations and stories of immigration.
This is an enjoyable, engaging and very valued resource and the fact that they volunteer their time and resources, makes it accessible to more students.
Regards
Bec Turvey
Year 6 Teacher
Maylands Peninsula Primary School.
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The City of Belmont – Representative
Dear Eli and Jill,
The students completed an extremely successful and heartfelt Project Heritage at the end of last term. Each one of them shone and I was and still am extremely proud of them all!.
Please find attached some of the snippets of Year 6 students’ thoughts of the ‘In My Pocket’ project – they absolutely loved everything about it and gained so much knowledge because of it.
In fact, many of the students included aspects of Kindertransport and Righteous Amongst the Nations in their work.
I myself loved this simple, yet intricate project. I too learnt a lot and I would really like to use this again. I also want to thank you so much for all the inspiration and help.
Warm regards,
Mrs Renee Levy
Year 6 Teacher and Team Leader
Dear Eli and Jill,
Today we ran the program in our school. Phyllis Jowell JDS joined us and the program was an immense success! The students were all so engaged and involved in the presentation and in the pocket artwork. They asked great questions and had beautiful reflections at the end!
We were even pleasantly surprised to see students who normally are not interested in art being so engaged in the pocket and the painting.
Thank you so much for this beautiful story to share with the children. There was such a beautiful lesson to impart and I think the kids really took it to heart!
Thanks again!
Chanee Shlomo
Last Shabbat we were blessed to have Jill and Eli Rabinowitz join us to share with us the wonderful program and story In My Pocket by Dorrith M Sim in Temple David Religion School (TDRS). It was a beautiful and meaningful Shabbat morning, especially as it was the Shabbat that falls prior to Yom HaShoah. Our families, those that attend TDRS regularly and those that came especially for In My Pocket found the morning to be profound and meaningful. Students asked thoughtful questions and joined in creating their very own pockets. I know that my daughter Noa and I are richer for having participated in the program, as are our families and our congregation.
Rabbi Kim Ettlinger Temple David Perth
In My Pocket Project
In My Pocket is supported by the Ambassadors of Germany, Israel & Lithuania in Australia, the German Hon Consul in WA, the Goethe Institute, the Indigenous Friends of Israel International, and the city councils of Belmont, Swan, Vincent and Stirling.