Parker’s Jewish Student Connection affinity group commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, January 27 by welcoming Parker grandparent Abba Lessing to the Morning Ex stage. Lessing, grandfather to sophomore Raiva and 8th grader Rafi, recounted his personal experience during the Holocaust—or, as he prefers to refer to it, “shoah,” the Hebrew word for “catastrophe.”
To begin, senior Benjamin Graines and junior Alex Sarnoff, student leaders of Jewish Student Connection, provided historical context for the commemoration. Raiva then introduced her grandfather and thanked him for sharing his story and inspiring her to be proud of her heritage.
Lessing recounted his childhood during the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War II. He recalled having to wear the yellow stars, marking himself as Jewish, and his feelings of terror during that time. In 1942, Lessing’s family, his parents and two brothers, fled their home, split apart and spent the next two and a half years hiding with different families to evade capture. He commented on the strength and guidance of his mother, who was eventually caught and spent time in Bergen-Belsen, a Nazi concentration camp. She survived, and Lessing’s family, against all odds and unlike many other families, fully reunited in 1945 after the Canadian 1st Army liberated their area.
As Lessing reflected on this time, he said, “I didn’t want to be a Jew as a victim, but a Jew on my own terms.” It took him a long time to get to that point, but he credited his wife, Bonnie, with helping him reclaim his Jewish identity. “It was devastating, but somehow all three of us [he and his brothers] became stronger and lived healthy lives.” Their experience led Lessing’s family to come to America, where his mother’s sister was already living, to have a new start and leave the awful remnants of past events behind.
The idea for this Morning Ex began when Lessing visited Principal Dan Frank’s office while on campus during this year’s Upper School Grandparents and Special Friends Day. Frank connected him with Jewish Student Connection Advisor Wendy Olt after learning about his story. Olt and her students saw an ideal opportunity to welcome him back to school for this presentation, during which he shared his personal story publicly for the first time. Lessing also spent time with several 8th grade and Upper School students and answered additional questions.
Stories like Lessing’s are a reminder of the extreme suffering and loss that occurred during the Holocaust. The school community thinks of the millions of Jewish and other victims and honors those who, like Lessing, managed to survive. Parker thanks him for sharing his experience with the community.
Click
here for photos.