After ushering out Kristallnacht and on the eve of Veterans Day, the Moriah School had the honor of hearing from Mr. Alan Moskin. The speaker, a native of Englewood, served in the U.S. Army from September 1944 until August 1946. He was part of General Patton’s 3rd Army and his outfit fought in combat through France, Germany and Austria. Beginning in May of 1945, Mr. Moskin’s company participated in the liberation of Gunskirchen Concentration Camp, a subcamp of Mauthausen. At the conclusion of the war, he remained in Europe as a member of the U.S. Army of Occupation.

Mr. Moskin dedicated his presentation to the fallen members of his World War II army unit. He spoke about his experiences as an infantry combat soldier and concentration camp liberator. As students sat spellbound for over an hour, he described the horrors of the battlefield, the profound sense of loss he felt as he witnessed the deaths of his fellow soldiers and his frustration as he dealt with prejudice and bigotry even within his own army training unit. He painted a devastating picture of the concentration camp survivors he liberated, whose appreciation of him as a fellow Jew and as an American knew no bounds.

Mr. Moskin explained to the students that they were the last generation who would be privileged to hear from survivors and liberators. His charge to them was to make certain that Holocaust deniers did not prevail, and to ensure that the type of hatred that fueled the horrors of the wartime years is replaced by respect for each and every individual.