First published in the Jan. 28 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
The Glendale Unified School District commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Friday by honoring the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
This past week, Glendale Unified middle and high school students had an opportunity to hear directly from survivors of the Holocaust via live Zoom sessions. These presentations were recorded for future viewing.
Every year, the Glendale Unified Board of Education adopts a resolution in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The resolution includes a commitment that “our community work together to promote human dignity and confront hate whenever and wherever it occurs.” This resolution and the Holocaust survivors’ presentations hold increasing significance given the dramatic rise in antisemitism in the United States.
Among the speakers were Joseph Alexander, 100, who survived 12 concentration camps, and David Lenga, 95, who survived three concentration camps.
On Jan. 27, 1945, Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp. It is estimated that the Nazis deported at least 1.3 million people to the Auschwitz complex between 1940 and 1945. Both Alexander and Lenga are Auschwitz survivors.
