On Wednesday, Oct. 10, The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park hosted students in TABC’s senior elective Holocaust studies class for a very special yom iyun. Students were divided into two groups for docent-led tours of the museum’s core exhibit about the destruction of European Jewry. Docents were impressed by the students’ knowledge on many of the topics covered in the exhibit and the insightful questions which they asked.

The highlight of the day was the talk by Holocaust survivor, Rene Slotkin. Not a sound could be heard in the room as students sat captivated, while he spoke about his horrific experiences, as one of the infamous Dr. Mengele’s twin subjects, along with his sister. Being born a twin and becoming part of Mengele’s study, actually enabled both of them to survive the nightmare which they endured. His message was clear: He was a survivor, not a victim. The boys were especially moved by seeing pictures of Slotkin as a young child, along with several other children at the time of their liberation from the camps.

An added bonus for the day’s program was a special workshop for the students on ethical dilemmas faced in the Kovno ghetto, led by Dr. Paul Radensky, director of education at the museum (and parent of TABC alumni Asher ‘11 and Binyamin ‘15.)