Holocaust Survivor Tells His Story To Students

From the East Meadow School District: East Meadow High School welcomed Werner Reich, on May 21, as part of a Holocaust survivor testimony presentation in front of a pair of 80-minute student-assembly presentations.

In Reich’s presentation, the German native described his family’s move from Germany to Yugoslavia in 1933 following the Nazis coming into power. In 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo and was jailed for seven weeks before being sent to camps in Theresienstadt and Auschwitz I and II.

After a seven-day death march in January 1945, Reich ended up in Mauthausen, Austria. He then returned to Yugoslavia and escaped to England before marrying his wife in 1955.

The couple immigrated to the United States, where Reich became an engineer. He and his wife have two sons and four grandchildren.

Reich is a frequent speaker and founding member of the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum. The students were moved by his presentation and reminded that history must never repeat itself.

Photos courtesy of the East Meadow School District:

Image 1: Werner Reich (center) gathered with students and teachers following the second of two assemblies at East Meadow High School.

Image 2: Werner Reich, a Holocaust survivor and native German, answered questions from the audience of students at East Meadow High School.