This past Tuesday, we observed Yom HaShoah as a community. As students arrived at Gann, they were invited to light a yizkor (memorial) candle in memory of the more than six million victims of the Holocaust. Following Zman Kodesh, we began with a student-led tekkes (ceremony) that included musical performances. This ceremony included special participation from students who went on Gann’s February break trip to Poland who shared reflections from their trip.
Our community also had the immense honor of hearing from two Holocaust survivors. Presented in partnership with the nonprofit educational organization Facing History & Ourselves, the program gave students the opportunity to hear survivor testimony firsthand.
Jane Singer Applefield spoke with students in grades 9 and 10, while Jack Trompetter addressed students in grades 11 and 12.
Janet, a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor and author of her 2024 memoir Becoming Janet, shared her experience as a young child in Poland during the Holocaust, when she was separated from her parents and forced to navigate much of the war on her own. She spoke with a remarkable clarity and energy that drew listeners in as she described those uncertain and dangerous years. The room grew completely silent as students listened. While her story is marked by profound loss, students were especially moved to hear that she was reunited with her father after the war.
She was joined by her daughter, Debbie Applefield Milley, who spoke about what it has meant to grow up in the shadow of this history and her own commitment to carrying these stories forward. Together, their reflections offered students a powerful window into how these histories are carried forward across generations.
Jack Trompetter, a Holocaust survivor born in Amsterdam in 1942, also spoke with students about his experience as a young child during the war. As an infant, he was placed with a Christian family while his parents went into hiding, and he spent his earliest years separated from them before being reunited after the war. In sharing his story, he emphasized the role of individual choices, often returning to the idea that “people make choices, and choices make history.” This message, central to the work of Facing History & Ourselves, resonates deeply with Gann’s emphasis on moral courage and responsibility.
While these conversations are always profound, hearing these stories alongside high school students felt especially meaningful. It is a rare and fleeting privilege, as we are among the last generations able to hear directly from those who lived them.
Thank you to everyone who helped organize this beautiful and meaningful Yom HaShoah program.