Glendale Unified middle and high school students will again have an opportunity to hear directly from survivors of the Holocaust from Jan. 16-19. Holocaust survivor speakers will present their life stories via Zoom to students. The presentations will also be recorded for future viewing. Among the speakers will be David Lenga (96) who survived three concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau.

These very special presentations coincide with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On Jan. 27, 1945 (79 years ago), Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp. It is estimated that the Nazis deported over 1.3 million people to the Auschwitz complex between 1940 and 1945. Of these, 1.1 million people were murdered. On this annual day of commemoration, nations from all over the world join in honoring the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and providing educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

Every year, the Glendale Unified board of education adopts a resolution in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The resolution includes a commitment that, “our community works together to promote human dignity and confront hate whenever and wherever it occurs.” This resolution and the Holocaust survivors’ presentations hold increasing significance given the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism across the nation and in Los Angeles County.