On November 20, Ralph Samuel took the time to give a presentation to the eighth grade class about his experience during the Holocaust. He told us about Mr. Samuel Epstein, who put up the 50 pounds so that Ralph Samuel could leave Germany, which was his family’s home for 250 years. He was sent to England, at the age of 7. Once in London, he was sent with many other kids to the countryside to escape the bombings. There, he was united with his mother in a manor house. She escaped Germany when the Epsteins hired her as a servant.
In the manor house, Mr. Samuel had friends. This struck me as interesting because so much bad stuff was happening, and yet here were these eight or so kids without a care in the world. He told us that at his age, he didn’t understand exactly what was happening. He knew a war was going on, he even talked about how he and his friend would collect flares that didn’t ignite and put them behind a cooking oven to dry out.
That being said, he did tell us how his father was murdered in Auschwitz. Mr Samuel really stressed that although horrible, horrible things happened, at least Germany is owning up to it. There are memorials, museums and laws against Holocaust denial in Germany.
It was really interesting and it helped put everything in perspective. His talk reminded us that this tragedy didn’t happen 300 years ago. Many of our grandparents and other family members remember it personally. Some were even a part of it, like Mr. Samuel.
I believe Ralph Samuel is a great person who has tremendous bravery. It takes guts to educate kids on one of the worst tragedies this world has ever seen. He faces the fear and facts of the Holocaust so that it isn’t ever forgotten. That type of courage deserves a medal, in my humble opinion.