By: Dr. Ettie Zilber
Posted: September 8, 2025
Why write an ode to a paper clip? What possible significance could such a small ubiquitous piece of bent metal wire have for the well-being of the world? Indeed, a paper clip has the power to hold papers together – even important papers - but what else would raise it to the level of international importance?
I recently returned from a journey that started in my mind 25 years ago and culminated in a trip to a tiny town of 1600 residents in Tennessee – the town of Whitwell, just 23 miles outside the city of Chattanooga. Twenty-five years ago, I learned about a project that began at the Whitwell Middle School. This small rural school introduced what came to be known as the “Paper Clip Project” to commemorate the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, among whom were 1.5 million children. Reading articles about this school project 25 years ago piqued my interest and fascinated me. Why? Because I am an educator, a school administrator, and the first-born daughter of two Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that a middle school community in a small mono-cultural Christian town in Tennessee, without any Jewish inhabitants, devoted thought, interest, attention, energy, planning, funds and a curriculum to this project. I read about the Principal, the teachers, the students and the parents and how they all came together to support and contribute to this endeavor. I read the newspaper articles, the books and the documentary video which described a committed staff, and a community joined in solidarity. I felt a need to see this for myself.
I read about the impetus for this project. Realizing that the students in this town had no exposure to diversity of any kind, the school leadership and some staff searched for a way to prepare their students for a world outside Whitwell which included people who were different than them. The idea arose to teach about Jewish people and the Holocaust. When the students and the teachers learned about the incomprehensible number 6 million, they decided to collect ‘something’ to make the number more tangible. They decided to collect paper clips.
The idea to collect paper clips was not only because they were small, inexpensive, and practical, but, to my surprise, they also had historic significance. One of the earlier inventors of the paper clip was a Norwegian man, named Johan Vaaler, who in 1899 patented a design for a paper clip, which is different from ours today. Vaaler was a Jew. When the Nazis invaded Norway in April 1940 and began to round up Jews, the Norwegian people began to wear paper clips on their lapels, shirts, blouses as a secret and silent sign of resistance to the Nazis. Thus, the collecting began, which eventually surpassed 6 million and reached 11 million paper clips. To deal with the huge numbers of paper clips and additional Holocaust memorabilia which flowed through the small Whitwell post office, a museum was created at the school to house, memorialize and educate the community about the Holocaust. Part of the museum is housed in an original railcar delivered from Germany. (1)
After a few failed attempts to plan a trip to visit the school, I finally made it this year. But this time I came not only as a visitor to the school museum and memorial, but as a guest speaker. I was invited to speak to the entire student body about my family’s experiences during the Holocaust. Speaking about the Holocaust is MY retirement project, in which I have been engaged for 6 years. I have traveled worldwide to educate audiences about the Holocaust through the personal stories of my family. To date, I have spoken to almost 12,000 people. I published a book about my family’s story. (2) I was hosted by the teacher-coordinator, Tayler McDaniel, who was one of the original students in the first Holocaust education group 25 years ago. I was invited to Whitwell to educate others, and in return, I was educated.
This experience reignited my faith in people and communities of good-will and vision. I attribute this to the inspiration from great leadership. For this I applaud former Principal Linda Hopper and her team who have continued the project after her retirement. My thanks and appreciation to the Tennessee Holocaust Commission for their support of Holocaust education throughout Tennessee.
About the Author:
Dr. Ettie Zilber is an author, educator, speaker, and board member of the Phoenix Holocaust Association. Her long and varied career in international schools has offered her a first hand view of the needs of school constituents, including host country authorities, staff, parents, students, administration and school boards. She is passionate about sharing her experience, research and strategies with communities worldwide, and assisting them to thrive in a multicultural and multilingual world.
To contact or learn more about Dr. Zilber:
aholocaustmemoir@gmail.com
https://www.ettiezilber.com/new-page-1
To purchase Dr. Zilber’s book, A Holocaust Memoir of Love and Resilience: Mama’s Survival from Lithuania to USA:
https://tinyurl.com/56ujwk35
To Learn More About the Paper Clip Project:
https://oneclipatatime.org/paper-clips-project/
Resources:
(1) Schroeder, P. W. & Schroeder-Hildebrand, D. (2004). Six Million Paper Clips: the making of a Children’s Holocaust Memorial, Minneapolis, MN: Kar Ben Publishing, Inc.
(2) Zilber, E. (2019). A Holocaust Memoir of Love and Resilience: Mama’s Survival from Lithuania to USA. https://tinyurl.com/56ujwk35
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