Throughout world history, many genocides have occurred, but the Holocaust stands as one of the largest, resulting in the loss of over 6 million lives, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
The Archer community commemorated Genocide Awareness Month by organizing field trips for the ninth grade to the Museum of Tolerance and the 10th grade to the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum Friday, April 12. Additionally, the Jewish Student Union invited Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler to speak to the Archer community about her experiences Monday, April 15. Students had a special schedule with 50-minute class periods to provide time for the assembly.
Brettler grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home in a small town in Transylvania, where she and her family faced antisemitism and persecution. She was 8 years old when she and her mother were captured and forced on a death march to Germany, where thousands of prisoners died of exposure, starvation and exhaustion.
Lily Savage (’26) said she and her family light candles to honor the 6 million lives that were lost in the Holocaust. She said it is a privilege to hear from a survivor about their powerful and emotional stories, especially as there are not many left. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish people in America experienced an average of 34 antisemitic incidents per day, since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
“I think it’s super educational because, especially now there’s so much antisemitism, and there’s more people trying to deny the Holocaust or use it in an inaccurate way,” Savage said. “I think that it’s super important to educate everyone about the Holocaust and about its survivors and about how it impacted the Jewish community and the world.”
In Germany, Brettler was brought to two concentration camps — Ravensbruck and Bergen Belsen. She described how her belongings and identity were stripped off by the harsh and brutal treatment of the soldiers at the camp and how she was afraid. Brettler credits her survival to the compassion and support of strangers. During her presentation, she recalled the names of the women who helped her and described specific memories she had with them.
“The bombing was so heavy and I was scared,” Brettler said. “…I stood in the corner, and all the ladies saw me standing there and she said, ‘Young girl, how come you don’t go to your parents?’ I said, ‘I don’t belong to anyone.’ She says, ‘Oh yes from now on you belong to me,'” Brettler said. “She and I ended up in a barrack and we were in the top bunk bed together.”
JSU Executive Board member Francie Wallack (’25) said it is important to have education on the Holocaust to pass down stories and awareness.
“It’s so much more valuable and important to hear firsthand stories because it really puts it into perspective and makes this so much more real,” Wallack said. “Watching videos and learning in history class, reading textbooks and stories helps you gain large background knowledge, but to hear personal accounts, stories and anecdotes, and the raw emotions, and seeing how it still affects these people to this day, even when it was so many years ago, it really just makes it so much more real and important.”
Brettler created an award-winning animated film called “A Prayer For My Mother” that portrays the brutality she experienced during the Holocaust and the hopes and dreams she had.
“I spoke in multiple schools, and I’m looking at the students and asking them please please be my future ambassador and carry out those memories of our loved ones,” Brettler said. “I usually ask the students to please share this story with their family and let them know how much they mean to you because the little girl in me is still missing her mama.”
Brettler eventually immigrated to the United States after the Holocaust and started a family. In addition, she continued her education at a community college in Santa Monica and transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles where she earned a degree in psychology. She is now a social worker for the Jewish community and shares her story frequently with others.
“Education is something that nobody can take away, I encourage everybody to follow what they decide in life and don’t let anybody put you to the corner but follow your desire of what you want to accomplish,” Brettler said. “I hope you’ve decided on the inside to never be a silent observer if you see injustice in our world.”
