The Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies (BCHSJS) will not meet in the next few weeks and, therefore, held it’s Yom HaShoah program this past Sunday. The featured speaker was Judith Altmann, a survivor who was born in Czechoslovakia. She spoke to the student body telling them how as a 14 year old, she and her siblings were sent in cattle cars with 70 people crammed in on a four and a half day journey to Auschwitz.

She told how Dr. Josef Mengele did the selection of people deciding who would live and who would die. She spoke about Birkenau, being used as slave labor, being on a death march and liberation by allied armies.

Students asked many questions. Judith stayed for “break” and during third period several classes bunched together to hear more of her story.

The “El Maleh Rachamim” was recited by Cantor David Wallach, parent of a BCHSJS student.