DeMasi annually invites a Holocaust survivor to speak following students’ social studies/world history unit on the Holocaust and tolerance.
Seventh-grade students at DeMasi Middle School recently welcomed guest speaker Renee Siegel, who shared the story of her late mother, Helen Rieder, a Holocaust survivor.
DeMasi annually invites a Holocaust survivor to speak to the seventh grade following the students’ social studies/world history unit on the Holocaust and tolerance.
The school arranges for speakers through the Raab-Goodwin Holocaust Education Center in Cherry Hill.
DeMasi teacher David Austin said students from years past still come back to visit and will ask how the survivors are doing.
“There’s nothing like being in the same room as these people. They are part of history, and their message is so important, especially right now,” Austin sad.
Siegel recently began sharing her mother’s story to ensure Rieder’s legacy of memories was kept alive. She said that her mother previously spoke of her experiences to ensure that history would not repeat itself and to refute Holocaust deniers.
Thanks to a project organized by the Shoah Foundation, Siegel had video of her mother recounting many details of her life, from when she was uprooted from her home in the Carpathian Mountains to when she was placed in the Auschwitz concentration camp and finally, when she was liberated and relocated to Los Angeles to begin a new life.
The students listened to the words of Rieder intently and asked Siegel a range of questions following the presentation, including how her mother’s story affected her own life.
“As a child, I felt a responsibility not to give her any more headaches,” Siegel said.
Now, as she shares her mother’s story, Siegel said that she has been inspired by her mother’s resilience.
“There is incredible power and potential living in each one of us,” Siegel said.
She also said that her mother’s story serves as a constant reminder of what can happen when bigotry and hatred go unchecked.
