There was an underlying feeling this Yom Hashoah at RKYHS that “never again” is not just a slogan of remembrance—it’s a call to attention, and a message of pressing importance. RKYHS students were privileged today to hear a story of survival from Dr Bernard Schanzer. Dr Schanzer, who along with his twin brother Henry Schanzer (both grandparents of several JKHA and RKYHS alumni) went into hiding on a farm in France. With the assistance of several righteous gentiles including those who were part of the French resistance—the brothers, their sister and their mother survived until the end of the war. Their father, who wasn’t able to hide with his family in the countryside, was killed after being deported to Auschwitz. RKYHS students are acutely aware of what a special and important opportunity they had to hear from a survivor. They took to heart his message to be proud of their Jewish heritage and to never forget what happened during the Holocaust. Dr Schanzer perfectly summed it up in his parting words to the students that “sharing my story is my and my brother’s gift to you, and your presence to hear it, is your gift to us.” Their story is now the students’ story as they carry the memory and make that memory matter. Students exited the impactful program through the Seryl and Charles Kushner Holocaust Memorial Garden as a moving Ani Maamin was played on the violin by Rabbi Schlusselberg.
