Holocaust Survivor Speaks to FAHS Students

As you may or may not know, Dr. Larry Rotenberg, a survivor of one of history’s most horrific events, recently spoke to Holocaust students at the Fleetwood Area High School. Rotenberg was originally from Romania and was about 2 or 3 years old when the Holocaust began.  He first realized what was going on around him when the ghetto walls arose and Jews were contained inside.

Even though he is now 76 and the Holocaust has long since ended, Rotenberg still experiences the side-effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),  leaving him with nightmares from the time period during which the earth was engulfed in World War II.

Once he was inside the walls of the ghetto, he was forced to remain there.  He also had to wear the Yellow Star of David. Most people were scared and upset, although Rotenberg recalls that he still felt safe. What makes his sense of safety seem especially unusual is that he was almost shot with a rifle.  Rotenberg argues that he could not understand the sensation of “real fear” because he never had a reason to be afraid of anything before the Holocaust.

Times were really rough for Rotenberg because his father kept all of the Jewish traditions and yet did not hesitate to provide pork for the family even though Judaism forbids it. This was the moment he knew times were bad: when his father ate pork.

The most upsetting part of the Holocaust for Rotenberg was when he could hear his father, mother, and brother all die within three days of each other, all in his presence.

The most common ailments among the Jews were typhus, malnutrition, lice, and starvation. Everyone believed that the food might disappear at any moment, so they would devour everything faster than their malnourished bodies could handle it.

One of the happiest times he had in the ghetto was when an Italian solider saw him and gave him a can of spaghetti; it was his first real comfort in three years.

His camp was finally liberated by the Soviet Union in Romania’s capital. Rotenberg was taken to an orphanage in Bucharest, which was a lot safer than the ghetto. Later, he traveled to Stockholm and Paris before visiting Canada and then Samaria.

He ended his presentation on a relatively happy note, saying, “I hope that students will learn acceptance and caring for everyone no matter what their background or religion.”

His role in history, and the roles of those like him, will never be forgotten.  Always remember.