An unlikely friendship began at a Holocaust museum in the Midwest between two volunteers.
Janine is a holocaust survivor from Poland. She managed to find her best friend at 98-years-old.
That friend is just a teenager.
Dhilan is a 13-year-old volunteer behind the welcome desk at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Chicago.
Dhilan has been volunteering at the museum for about a year after the museum hosted a traveling exhibit at his school. The two connected when they volunteered together and Janine started sharing some of her life story.
“To have a friend who has a widely different experience than my own. That overall has made me a better person,” explains Dhilan.
“I was able to tell him what I suffered during the war and he was able to accept it and he didn’t reject it and I could talk to him,” Janine said about the friendship.
“I think that was very important,” she continued.
Dhilan catches Janine up on his studies and says he is always excited to tell her when he gets ‘100’ on his history tests.
Their fellow volunteers say it’s a joy to be at the desk with them and watch their interactions.