Students were guided throughout the Museum by guides who are mostly children of Holocaust survivors. Guides explained the exhibits, students were particularly confronted by artefacts from the concentration camps, including a blanket made of human hair which Olga Horak wore when liberated from Bergen Belsen. Students saw authentic striped uniforms worn in the camps, as well as, the yellow stars of David Jews were forced to wear on their clothing. Also, students were particularly saddened by the Children's Memorial.

The highlight of the day was listening to the talks given by Holocaust survivors. One group listened to John Grushka, who was originally from Czechoslovakia. His parents sent him to relatives in England before the Nazi occupation which saved his life. John recalled having to travel through Nazi Germany and being tormented by the Nazi's. His mother stayed behind in Czechslovakia to look after her elderly mother and was rounded up and perished in Auschwitz. Other students listened to Hungarian child survivor, Andrew Rosenberg. He shared his family story, his time in a orphanage during the war and his mother's experience in Ravensbruck camp.

A group of students and I were fortunate by chance to come across Holocaust survivor, Jack Meister, who was walking around the Museum. Jack is a survivor of  Auschwitz and Buchenwald camps. Despite all the adversity of his life, he had a beaming smile and spoke beautifully to the girls. He recalled the photo taken of him when the Americans liberated Buchenwald and the chocolate the Americans had given him. 

One student, Simra B, reflected ' The Jewish Museum was a once in a lifetime experience, it gave us a whole new experience and point of view of the holocaust. We learned many things and experienced new feelings while talking to actual survivors! Even when we saw actual artifacts from the camps it was confronting.  What they endured, whether they were in the camps or even trying to escape all of it would have been very scary. Something that I really enjoyed was meeting survivor John Grushka  and being able to interact and talk to him. Later on I met another survivor, Jack Meister. It was an ultimate pleasure to meet these wonderful people and go to the museum. I definitely would love to go again'.

Fran Musico Rullo - HSIE Teacher