On Friday, Jan. 24, high schoolers gathered in the gym for the third annual Holocaust assembly in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27. The assembly featured Steve Goldberg, a teacher from North Carolina, who recounted the story of Holocaust survivor Abe Piasek.
Piasek, who died in 2020, survived multiple concentration camps and ghettos, including Hessental, Auschwitz and Radom, as a teenager. Goldberg befriended Piasek in 2018 and learned of his harrowing experiences surviving starvation, forced labor, the loss of his family and the brutality of the Nazi regime. Through Goldberg’s narration, students heard about Piasek’s eventual liberation and his life after immigrating to the United States.
Goldberg emphasized the importance of sharing stories like Piasek’s to ensure that the atrocities of the Holocaust are not forgotten. “Abe [Piasek] said, ‘Keep telling my story,’ and it’s our responsibility to continue to honor his wish,” Goldberg said.
High school principal Yom Fox opened the assembly by reflecting on the role of students as leaders and changemakers.
Sophomore Nathan Ginsberg, a Jewish Student Coalition (JSC) member, said the assembly stood out for its depth and personal connection. “When you hear one person’s full story, it feels much more personal and easier to connect with, especially for kids,” Ginsberg said. He added that the format of focusing on one individual’s experiences helped bring the numbers of Holocaust victims into sharper perspective.
Freshman Brendon Chu described the assembly as “incredibly moving” and said Piasek’s story improved his understanding of the Holocaust. “It’s one thing to learn about the history in general, but hearing about Abe’s life and his losses made it so much more real,” he said.
Five students interviewed by the Bit praised the assembly for its emotional resonance but said they felt the limited assembly time prevented Goldberg from sharing the full extent of Piasek’s story.
“The speaker was engaging, but it felt rushed,” junior and JSC co-head Natasha Rubinson noted. “I think with more time, he [Goldberg] could have shared more details about Abe’s life.”
In an email to the Bit, Goldberg said he skipped certain videos and slides to accommodate the time constraints. These videos feature Piasek describing his first time walking into Radom, Poland, and recounting how his friends lifted him at Auschwitz to make him appear taller, saving his life. They also include a 45-second animation depicting scenes from Piasek’s life in the concentration camps.
“It was one of the better assemblies this year, but it did feel a little rushed,” sophomore Jack Kepniss said. “I think a longer assembly would have given us a chance to hear even more about his experiences.”
In the middle of the assembly, Goldberg showed a video of Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Budde’s message to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, January 21 during the National Prayer Service, which is held after each presidential inauguration. “I usually don’t include a current event when I share Abe’s story, but Bishop Budde’s bravery seemed to fit,” Goldberg wrote in an email to the Bit.
Goldberg told the Bit that Piasek was a Republican for much of his life. “But he was not a fan of Trump’s policies that reduced the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. or of the policies that were separating families at the border,” he wrote.
During the presentation, Goldberg noted that Piasek’s values of tolerance and respect aligned with GDS’. Goldberg added via email that when Piasek was liberated in April 1945, it was by a group of Black soldiers.
“Growing up in a small town in Poland, Abe had never seen a Black person before,” Goldberg wrote. “His first impression of Americans was that they were Black.”
“I thought it was an excellent assembly,” senior Paolo Imbroscio said. “It’s useful every once and a while to look back because a lot of people forget how terrible a tragedy is when they only understand it in numbers.”
“Abe was big on inclusion and respect—I think he would have enjoyed visiting GDS,” Goldberg wrote.