Students Share Family Stories in Commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day

1/31/2025

In observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the upper school community gathered at Morning Meeting on January 28 to honor the memory of those who suffered and perished during the Holocaust.

At the invitation of the School’s Jewish Culture Club (JCC), Diana Davleeva ’25 and siblings Sally Dwek ’28 and Mason Dwek ’25 shared deeply personal stories of their families, whose histories were tragically shaped by the Holocaust.

“It is easy to believe that the Holocaust is just something learned in history books, when in reality, it directly impacted many members of our community,” Taylor Marlowe ’25, JCC co-chair, explained. “I, along with the other Jewish Culture Club leaders, wanted to ensure a space where community members could share their family’s accounts. It is crucial that we pass down as many stories from the Holocaust as possible so we learn and make sure that this never happens again.”

“I am incredibly proud of the students who spoke about their grandparents’ experiences during and after the Holocaust,” said Miriam Emery, JCC advisor and upper school English department chair. “The students were able to honor the legacy of their surviving relatives and those Jews and others who perished. They also spoke to recent disinformation and lack of knowledge about the Holocaust and how it is important to bear witness to the truth. Each student gave such a deep picture of the loss their grandparents experienced and how much resiliency each had.”

Due to today’s delayed start of school, a special upper school screening of “Vishniac,” is rescheduled for next week. “Vishniac” is a powerful documentary about the Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac, who captured pre-war images of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe that were wiped out by the Holocaust.

Marlowe and fellow JCC co-chairs Mia Steinwurtzel ’26, Samson Mines ’25, Brian Wolfson ’25 and Jesse Gelman ’25 will conduct a Q&A after the film.

The middle school community also discussed the significance of Holocaust Remembrance Day during their middle school gathering this week and will be viewing “Anne Frank: Her World and Her Diary,” produced by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.