Back to School 2016
Max Epstein
Jewish survivor Max Epstein discusses the structure of his schooling from age 6 to 18. He remembers his strong skills in math and the difficulty he had learning languages in school, until he was able to travel and master the languages on his own.
Nechama Ariel on Going to School
Language: English
Nechama Ariel describes the different schools for Jewish children and Christian children in her town in Poland before the war. She explains the different subjects that were taught in each school.
Moshe Avital on School in Czechoslovakia
Language: English
Moshe Avital describes the two public schools in Czechoslovakia and how most Jewish students went to the Czech school and the non-Jewish students went to the Russian school. His Czech school was very strict and taught at a very high level, which provided him the opportunity to learn about Czech language, literature, geography, and many other subjects.
David Ackermann on Applying to Graduate School
Language: English
David talks about studying Zoology at UCLA following his immigration to the United States. He applied to several medical schools following his undergraduate years, and received acceptances at several prestigious schools, one of which was from the University of Southern California.
Norbert Bikales on Expulsion from German Schools
Language: English
Norbert Bikales remembers the day he was excluded from attending a non-Jewish German school in Berlin, Germany, shortly after the November Pogrom (Kristallnacht) in November 1938. He reflects on how this event changed his life.
William Bergman on Going to School in Scotland
Language: English
William talks about his experiences as a young German boy attending school in Scotland without knowing how to speak English, and how a teacher set aside time to work with him privately. He also talks about the education system in Scotland, specifically the "Eleven-plus exam."
Warren Dunn remembers his teachers
Language: English
Warren Dunn, Dachau camp liberator, reflects on his school teachers while growing up in California. He describes how both teachers influenced him and how much he respected his high school teacher.
Hannah Altbush on Jewish education exclusion
Language: English
Hannah Altbush describes the horrible experience of being expelled from her school in Nazi Germany simply because she was Jewish.
Hank Schwab remembers his classmates
Language: English
Hank Schwab describes the structure of his primary and high school in Germany. He also reflects on the close relationships he formed with his Jewish and gentile classmates. Schwab and fellow survivors returned to Germany for the first time since WWII, for their 50th high school reunion.
Language: English
Fred recalls his first impressions of Shanghai while, housed in a refugee camp, he and his family were adapting to life in China after having fled Nazi Germany in 1939. He notes that soon after their arrival, his family moved out of the camp to the Shanghai Japanese quarter.
Eva Antman
Language: English
Eva discusses a ghetto pass policy enforced in the Hongkew ghetto in Shanghai, China, during the war. Eva explains that she had to pass the ghetto checkpoint on a daily basis, as the school she attended was located outside of her living district. She talks about the impact from her encounters with Kanoh Ghoya, a Japanese official who was in charge of issuing the ghetto passes.
Tom Lantos on his education in Hungary
Language: English
Tom Lantos describes in detail the specific lessons and tricks he learned to memorize particular aspects of his Latin lessons. He continues to speak on the importance and affect his Hungarian education had on him.
Miriam Arvan
Language: English
Jewish survivor Miriam Arvan remembers the strong influence of antisemitism and Nazism on her schooling as a child.
Victoria Blank
Language: English
Jewish survivor Victoria Blank discusses her difficulty adjusting to school as a young girl.
Stephanie Krantz
Language: English
Jewish survivor Stephanie Krantz remembers being excluded from her high school because she didn't make the "Jewish quota" and was forced into a Jewish school.
Elaine Siegel
Language: English
Jewish survivor Elaine Siegel discusses her schooling throughout her childhood and teenage years. Her various teachers were Nazis, but only some would include their ideologies into lessons. As she grew up, she was labeled as "Jewish" and faced antisemitism in school.
Anita White
Language: English
Anita talks about her experience in gymnasium, and the multiple classes she took. She also fondly remembers a teacher of hers.
David Karasira on Persecution of Tutsis at School
Language: English
Rwandan Tutsi Genocide survivor David Karasira describes the discrimination and violence he faced as a Tutsi at school.
Judith Becker on anti-Semitism in German schools
Language: English
Judith Becker describes how her brother was able to still attend a public high school because of his athleticism despite the implementation of the Nuremberg Laws. She also reflects on how the Nazi ideology was taught on a daily basis in German schools.
Prejudiced Attitudes: Rose Burizihiza Remembers School anti-Tutsi Prejudice
Language: Kinyarwanda
Rose Burizhiza speaks on the discrimination she faced in school before the genocide began in Rwanda. Rose’s testimony is featured in the IWitness activity, Information Quest: The Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Herbert Achtentuch on anti-Jewish educational exclusion
Language: English
Herbert Achtentuch remembers when he and other Jewish school children were expelled from their school and forced to attend a school in the Jewish district of Vienna. He also recalls the anti-Semitism and violence from former gentile students.
Acts of Prejudice: Holocaust survivor Lea Schabinski-Faranof
Language: English
Holocaust survivor Lea Schabinski-Faranof remembers the prevelant anti-Semitism in her school.
Daniel Ndamwizeye
Language: English
Tutsi survivor Daniel Ndamwizeye describes the difficult time he had at school and what a typical school day was like.
Live Wesige
Language: English
Tutsi survivor Live Wesige remembers his time spent at school and even being punished for being left-handed.
Juliane Heyman
Language: English
Jewish survivor Juliane Heyman remembers experiencing antisemitism throughout her schooling years.
Rita Childs
Language: English
Jewish survivor Rita Childs discusses her schooling and remembers how pleased she was that her great reputation as a student allowed her to skip an entry test for a school she wished to attend.
Max Epstein
Language: English
Jewish survivor Max Epstein discusses the structure of his schooling from age 6 to 18. He remembers his strong skills in math and the difficulty he had learning languages in school, until he was able to travel and master the languages on his own.
Ester Fiszgop
Language: English
Jewish survivor Ester Fiszgop remembers the prevelant antisemitism throughout her years of schooling.
Herbert Spiro
Language: English
Jewish survivor Herbert Spiro remembers when Hitler came to his city on campaign and his class was tasked with attending Hitler's visit and writing an essay about it. The Jewish boys of the class were allowed to write about something different but Herbert secretly watched as Hitler arrived and wrote about the visit in great detail.
Helen Fagin on Education in the Ghetto
Language: English
Helen Fagin discusses her efforts and risk to educate fellow ghetto inhabitants in the Radomsko ghetto in Poland.
Frieda Aaron on Education in the Warsaw Ghetto
Language: English
Frieda talks about giving up her possessions and what life was like in the Warsaw ghetto. She talks about the education she received and how culture still continued to thrive in the ghetto.