Rogers New Technology High School (Rogers) is a public charter school grades 9-12 with 655 students of unusual demographics: 50% Hispanic, 44% White, 3% 2-races, and 3% all other, and 61% of these are from low income families. However, despite these demographics, its 4-year graduation rate is 100% and its students’ college readiness is much above AR state average with SAT score of 1143 and test scores of 72% English, 55% Reading, 32% Math and 44% Science. The students’ proficiency was definitely reflected by the quality of their questions during the Q&A.
My presentation to 30-some 10th graders was organized by teacher Meghan Chiquin whose students have been completing a Holocaust poetry/art project for the past few weeks. The students have analyzed Holocaust artwork, read Holocaust poetry, and have just completed a reading of Elie Wiesel’s Night. Students were now nearing the end of their project where they are tasked with creating a piece of art and a poem to represent their feelings about the Holocaust and WWII.
I was both surprised and very impressed by the unique and ambitious Holocaust poetry/art project. While studying the Holocaust exposes students to some of the worst cruelty and inhumanity that modern well-educated humans can conceive and inflict on others (Germany was the best educated country in Europe pre-WWII), teacher Meghan Chiquin’s poetry/art project shows students the unquenchable creative drive in the human soul and spirit, even in the midst of inhuman cruelty. This is the first time that I’ve encountered in a high school a conscious effort to show human artistic spirit under inhumane conditions. It reminds me of the photos of green spring buds bursting from earth torn apart by bombs and artillery fire. Hope springs eternal from the human soul….
KPMG LLP is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. It is multinationally based and operates worldwide. Based in Amstelveen, Netherlands, with executive offices in New York City, KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 273,424 employees. It has three lines of services: financial audit, tax, and advisory. I was recently contacted by Rachel Gelnick, Senior Associate in KMPG’s New York-based Human Capital Advisory group, who asked me to make my presentation about my Holocaust childhood, which I do primarily to high school audiences, to KPMG’s US-based professionals.
We agreed to do it by video on May 3, 2024 for the newly established Jewish Heritage Employee Resource Group at KPMG which organized this event to commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. There were 220+ participants with a high rate of engagement resulting in an active Q&A session. The virtual nature also allowed a varied audience from regions across the US and diverse religious backgrounds and ages
I particularly appreciated the Q&A session which followed my presentation because the questions reflected the knowledge, intelligence, judgement, and sensitivity of the KPMG personnel. While 90% of my 400-some talks to date were to high schools as students are old enough to understand what I lived through and survived, yet young enough to still have an open mind to decide whether they want to live their lives on the side of truth and fairness and respect or prejudice and anger and hate. I thus speak mostly to young audiences where I can make a bigger difference. However, in this presentation I very much appreciated the Q&A-spawned discussion about our society’s humanity and inhumanity, and that the atrocities of the Holocaust were committed by the best-educated country in Europe.
I feel that the post-talk discussion benefited everyone, as confirmed by the very rewarding list of comments received afterwards (below).
Thank you for speaking to us adults today and reminding us that the human spirit is resilient, and your story needed to be told. There is power in your words and lessons to be learned. Thank you. You made a difference in our lives today.
I am so very grateful that you chose to speak to adults today. I am not Jewish, but I took my son to a concentration camp on a trip to Germany. I told him it’s important to see what hate unchecked can do. I’m grateful you shared your childhood with us!
I just want to thank you for coming to speak with us today. This definitely had me tearing up, so I just want to thank you for your bravery and I hope you continues to speak and change people’s lives.
I just wanted to thank you for the time to tell us your story. There were so many points where I was able to feel exactly how you felt in those moments of horror and your appreciation for the “pure luck” that kept you alive. I am so honored to have heard your story today, and will be sure to carry it forward for the rest of my life.
We love you, George!
As the grandson of two survivors, I am grateful that you were able to join us and tell your story. Your courage is honorable. Wishing you and your wife the best of health and happiness.
Given the resurgence of antisemitism, how should we Jews respond to agitators – knowing how cruel and savage antisemitism can become? Government, media, and social structures can fail to protect Jewish community.
Thank you so much for sharing your story, and we are fortunate to hear from you. The founder of my previous company was a survivor who passed before I joined the company, but was forced to hide in an underground hole for 18 months during the Holocaust
I just wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for sharing your story and for your incredible courage. Your willingness to share is truly making a significant impact. Sending warm hugs!
How did you end up in small towns in North Carolina & Oregon that I’d never even heard of their existence before?!?! WHAT WAS THERE?
After everything you’ve experienced, what is your reaction to our current antisemitic climate and what guidance would you provide to our younger Jewish community experiencing this today?
Thank you so much for taking the time today to speak with us. Your story is incredible.
I have to know, what exactly was the scene in the movie which changed your mind?
What was the movie that you said you were watching with your wife, before deciding to share your story? I need to see it 😀
What a remarkable story and I thank you for the impact you are having on our kids today.
Do you see any similarities between what is going on now and what was going on in Europe when you were a child? (Follow-up question: What should we be doing? What should we encourage our non-jewish friends to do?)
What has your relationship with Judaism looked like over the years?
You mentioned that there was one scene in paper clips that inspired you to share your story. What was it that encouraged you?
Did the Jewish faith help you during the difficult times in your life?
George – I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. My grandfather, also a survivor, passed away last week at age 105. Born in Poland in 1919, my grandfather came to the US in 1948.
Are there still things that you don’t talk about?
Some are seeing an eerie parallel between the anti-Israel protests happening on college campuses today and the anti-Semitic sentiment in Germany preceding the Holocaust. Do you feel this is an accurate comparison?
You’ve accomplished so much in your life and continue to give back to your community. How have you managed to overcome the trauma and experience the worst of humanity, to be able to see the positive in life and make a difference in this world?
Thank you for coming and sharing your story. This has been incredibly informative. I’d love to understand why you focus your talks on high school students and what you have found to be most impactful with speaking to students?
George, it was an honor to listen to you speak today. Hearing your story and seeing how you are still inspired to give back is truly incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. You certainly are making a difference.
Thank you for sharing your poignant story. Your story reminds us why it is important to remember why things happened and it helps understand why a people might respond so forcefully when threatened.
Truly incredible, thank you for all you do and for allowing the next generation to bear witness so we never forget.
College Park High School is a highly rated public school with a current enrollment of 2050 students of which 58% are minority, 22% are from low income families, and 5% are English Language learners. Despite these demographics, College Park is far above California state averages of college and career readiness, such as student test scores (English 69% vs 47% CA avrg, Math 47% vs 35% CA avrg, Science 51% vs 30% CA avrg), and has 96% graduation rate vs 87% CA avrg, 81% pursuing college or vocational program vs 65% CA avrg – all quite impressive. (Data is from 2023 GreatSchools.org.)
This presentation to College Park, my 6th since 2019, was to the entire 10th grade class (350-400 students) and was again organized by World History teacher Lauren Weaver, as she had done each year since 2019 – interacting with her again and viewing her interaction with her students was a real pleasure. The students have studied WWII and the Holocaust, so knew about governmental persecution in Germany in the 1930s, including anti-Semitic policies and hate crimes, targeted boycotts, the Nuremberg laws, book burnings, Kristallnacht, forced relocations to the ghettos, deportations, and death camps under the “final solution”.
Unlike Zoom presentations during Covid years, I was very pleased to be able to make this one in person, to establish eye contact during the Q&A, answer some very good questions, shake hands & take selfies with students and to make the whole experience much more personal and enjoyable – all a very good example that electronic communication, for all its convenience, will never replace direct personal contacts.
Arrangements for this talk at College Park were made by Patrick Dunne, Office Manager, JFCS.org
This was my 6th time speaking at the University of San Francisco (USF), a Jesuit Catholic university. Founded in 1855, USF was the city’s first university, and it is the third oldest institution for higher learning in California. Its student body numbers approximately 10,600, with 62% undergraduates and 38% postgraduates, and its faculty numbers approximately 1,200, of which 41% are full-time and 59% are part-time, or adjunct. Religious and spiritual organizations on campus include the Muslim Student Union, the USF chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the USF Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
My talk at USF this year was for 20 students in an undergraduate course entitled Holocaust and Genocide, which is one of the selective subjects in USF’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. It was organized by its teacher Dr. Alexis Herr, with my involvement initiated by Sadie Simon and finalized by Patrick Dunne of the JFCS Holocaust Center.
Lowell High School is a public magnet school which opened in 1856 and is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi. With enrollment of approximately 2,600 students (50% Asian, 18% White, 14% Hispanic, 8% Filipino, and 10% all other), the Lowell admission process is competitive and based on a combination of standardized test scores, GPA, a writing sample, and extracurricular activities. As a result, its students’ test scores have historically ranked among the Top 10 Public Schools in California, making it the 2nd highest ranking school in California with over 2,000 students, and #85 in National Rankings.
In addition to its stellar academic performance, Lowell has one of the most active student bodies in San Francisco, with over 84 academic organizations, athletic teams and student interest clubs. In athletics, Lowell has competitive teams in 17 sports plus cheerleading, and these teams claim more city championships than any other public high school in San Francisco.
My talk to 500 9th and 10th grade students was my 2nd time speaking at Lowell, and it was again organized by Modern World History teacher Erin Hanlon-Young. It was arranged by JFCS Holocaust Center’s Director Morgan Blum Schneider and Office Manager Patrick Dunne.
Summit Charter High School is a public charter school in grades K-12 with enrollment of 2,309 students and high diversity: Hispanic 77%, White 16%, two or more races 3%, Asian or Pacific Islander 2%, Native American 1%, and all other 1%. Of the total, 18% of the students are learning English and 62% are from low-income families.
Despite these difficult demographics, the school’s GreatSchools Summary Ratings are approximately California state average in several categories, including graduation rate, Test Scores, Academic Progress, College Readiness and Equity.
My presentation to 50 10th grade students was organized by teacher Alberto Gasca, whose World History students were in the middle of the Holocaust unit and will have covered the history of antisemitism in Europe, and the different stages of the Holocaust (antisemitism, Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, the ghettos, camps, and liberation) by the time of my presentation. The students are also reading Night by Elie Wiesel in their English class.
Arrangements for my talk were made by Lexi Jason, Education Program Manager at Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity
Front Range Community College (FRCC) has a total enrollment exceeding 19,000 students of wide diversity: 62% are White, 23% are Latino, and 15% are of several other races or multi-racial. Of the total, approximately 4900 students attend the Boulder County Campus at Longmont, and although many enroll right from high school, 24 is the median age because more than 40% of students are 26 years old or older.
My talk was organized by Mary Ann Grim of the History and Women & Gender Studies Faculty, as part of her Western Civilization class which includes 3 weeks on the Holocaust, reading of Survival in Auschwitz, etc. My initial contact with Mary Ann Grim resulted in my first presentation to her students on November 11, 2011
After my talk Mary Ann Grim sent me FRCC’s statement on its philosophy of inclusion, which I appreciate for its calm and even-handed description and feel it worthwhile to include below.
“We recognize that the success of students and employees grows from a culture of inclusivity, equity, and excellence. We believe that our diversity, which includes a full spectrum of attributes, backgrounds, cultures, identities, abilities, beliefs, and ideas, enriches lives in the entire college community. We know that including and respecting our diverse experiences and values in all of our interactions at the college is the best way to promote student success. We also recognize that our differences do not have equal impact or consequences, and we acknowledge that our differences affect how we behave, how we are treated, and how we interact.”
In January 2024 Mary Ann Grim contacted me again about making a presentation to her current students. We agreed on April 2, 2024, and she arranged for a very creative flyer (below) made to advertise the presentation.
Somerville High School (https://somerville.k12.ma.us/schools/somerville-high-school) has an enrollment of 1215 students in grades 9-12 and very diverse demographics: Hispanic 46%, White 35%, Black 11%, Asian or Pacific Islander 6%, two or more races 2%, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander <1%, Native American <1%, and 73% of its students from low-income families.
More unusual, however, is the organization of its student body: the students are divided into 4 Communities designed to meet students’ academic and social needs and also language limitations through a comprehensive, collaborative team approach. For example, I learned that the audience to my talk of approximately 350 9th graders had a Portuguese translator and a Spanish translator for 2 smaller groups whose English was limited. The 4 Communities, each with a Multilingual School Counselor, are:
“ELM Community: Newcomers in the Multilingual Learner Education Program
HIGHLAND Community: Students with last names starting with G-N
BROADWAY Community: Students with last names starting with O-Z”
The school counseling staff is dedicated to practicing preventative, proactive counseling which includes discussing academic and adolescent issues, pre-college planning, career exploration, and post high school planning. Communication is key; we encourage family members to call their student’s Community Team with questions.
My presentation to the 350 9th graders was organized by Dave diPietro and ??? and my participation therein was arranged by Jeff Smith of Facing History and Ourselves.
Notes from Students
Several weeks after my talk at Somerville HS I received a large envelope with several dozen Thank You notes from students, and during the subsequent weeks I read these, excerpted statements that most resonated with me, and these excerpts are shown below.
The Holocaust was born in a faulty democracy that allowed a dictator to come to power.
Hearing about your experiences during the Holocaust reinforced within me the idea that Democracy is a vital part of society and must be protected at all costs
You are so inspirational and so much of your story resonated and connected – especially about your mother.
Thank you for your important message about the Golden Rule and being against all hate and prejudice.
I loved your message about the Golden Rule, and holding an optimistic attitude.
Learning about the Holocaust through personal experiences of people is necessary to truly understand the gravity of it.
The Holocaust has changed my view not only of what happened in Nazi Germany but also more generally of government and politics.
I hope that with your story we can make the world a better place for future generations.
I have a speech to present in 2 months and am very anxious to do so in front of 300 people.
Your story shows me how little we can truly change as humanity. Even today we still cannot stop killing each other.
I keep thinking about those families who hid you, how it was very dangerous for them, but it helps us realize the value of standing up for others even when it’s dangerous or difficult. It’s the only way progress can be made, after all.
It seems like luck knows of your innocence and was willing to protect you from all the tremendous tragedy surrounding you.
All my respect is in you and your story. I felt compassion, but at the same time I felt devastated, I felt scared.
I do know what it feels like to constantly move around and have that to be “the normal.” I hope you are satisfied with where you are in life right now.
I will especially remember the advice you gave us about not letting others discourage you. It kind of applied tome and really helped me, so thank you.
I thought that I knew a lot about the Holocaust, and I did in terms of history, but I feel more enlightened now about the personal experiences of the victims.
North Creek High School has an enrollment of 1700 students in grades 9 – 12 with high diversity: 39.2% White, 39.0% Asian, 10.4% Hispanic, 7.8% two or more races, 2.5% Black, 0.4% all other, and 14% of students are economically disadvantaged. It is ranked 20th within Washington by US News & World Report, as its students’ participation in Advanced Placement® program is a commendable 57%.
The school sits on a 60+ acre campus featuring numerous wetlands and a state-of-the-art facility for student learning, unlike most high schools in the United States. The buildings are heated and cooled by geo-thermal energy, and solar power provides additional energy. Each building was designed so that almost every space could be used for teaching and learning. Classrooms have movable glass walls and the hallways have furniture that invites small group work. There are also designated rooms called Collaboration Cubes where students can work together and learn in a comfortable space outside the classroom.
The students study the Holocaust within a larger unit on historical causes and manifestations of war. This includes the Pyramid of Hate, scapegoating, the rise of the Nazis, a more general lesson about perpetrators and bystanders in genocide, and a lesson on Jewish cultural and spiritual resistance. Today’s event was organized by Social Studies teacher Deanna Armstrong and my participation was arranged by Lexi Jason, Education Program Manager of Holocaust Center for Humanity
Neither Yesterdays Nor Tomorrows 