Personal Experience During The Holocaust

I am writing to thank you for speaking to the sophomore class of Richard Montgomery High School on November 7th, about your experience during the Holocaust. I found your story to be very personal and educational. I would also like to thank you for taking your time to speak with us.

During your telling of your experience during the Holocaust, it struck me how personal your story truly was. One instance that I remember was when you told us that you found your cousin and some of his friends and left to go home. You told us about how you came upon a house where you knocked and politely asked for food, even though she was German and you wanted to barge in and take anything you wished. I appreciated how honest you were when you told this part of

your story. You did not tell us that everything was perfect. You were honest with us and told us that you thought that you should be able to take whatever you want and do whatever you want. Not many people would have admitted that, they would have lied. You showed us your true feelings and did not sugar coat them. Another instance where you were honest was when you told us that you survived just by luck. Some people would have said that they were better than others and were smarter than others, and that is how they survived; but not you, you were very modest and told us plainly that you survived just by chance, that you did not know why you survived, and you told us that you were smaller than many of your family, yet you survived.

While you spoke to us, I learned new information about the Holocaust that I had never heard before. One fact that you taught me was the river of bodies. The articles I have read, as well as the books, never once mention a river that had dead bodies flowing through it every day. I cannot even imagine going to a river and seeing that. Another fact you taught me was that you only got 450 calories a day. That is only about an hours worth of energy. I am even more in awe of everyone who lived through the Holocaust. I do not know how anyone could survive that.

Again, I want to thank you for taking your time to speak to my class and I. We enjoyed your story greatly and it taught us information that we were not taught in school. Also, your story was very personal and I want to thank you for feeling comfortable enough to share it with us.