Holocaust survivor makes history come alive

Posted 12/16/22

Highland High School students received a firsthand account of history last week when Holocaust survivor Dr. Alexander Levy visited the school to speak about his experience fleeing Nazi Germany as a …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Holocaust survivor makes history come alive

Posted

Highland High School students received a firsthand account of history last week when Holocaust survivor Dr. Alexander Levy visited the school to speak about his experience fleeing Nazi Germany as a child and hiding out in a Catholic girls’ orphanage in Belgium during World War II.

The students were respectful and attentive as Dr. Levy described the many hardships he endured during his time in hiding, including having to go by an alias, being cold and hungry and missing his mother, with whom he was able to reunite after the war.

Dr. Levy shared how his family fled Berlin in 1938 on Kristallnacht—the “night of the broken glass”—which is considered the symbolic start of the Holocaust when Germans rampaged through the streets attacking Jews and burning down businesses and synagogues. He said he was lucky to have found sanctuary and avoid capture, but painfully recalled how many members of his family did not survive.

“We made it out alive but, unfortunately, many others did not,” he said.
At the conclusion of Dr. Levy’s talk, the students had the opportunity to ask him questions, which ranged from “What did you eat while you were in hiding?” to “Did you ever come face-to-face with a Nazi?” to “How did your experience during the Holocaust impact you later in life?”

Dr. Levy answered each question thoughtfully and honestly, and revealed that after the Holocaust he moved to New York City, learned English, enlisted in the United States Army and later became a teacher and raised a family. “I’ve been very happy,” he said.

HHS Principal Kevin Murphy said he is grateful that students were given this rare, front-row seat to history.

“As Holocaust survivors continue to age, students are losing their access to firsthand knowledge of that time, making presentations like this one more important than ever,” he said. “We appreciate Dr. Levy for taking the time to relive these painful memories for us. It was a valuable experience that our students won’t soon forget.”