Last week, BMS had the honor of hosting Mrs. Rona Levin, who spoke to students about her family’s experiences during the Holocaust. Mrs. Levin shared the true, documented survival stories of her grandparents, Sarolta (Charlotte) and Aleksander, bringing history to life through their personal journeys.
She began by describing her family’s life in Europe before World War II, helping students understand what everyday Jewish life looked like prior to the war. In age-appropriate terms, she explained how political changes and antisemitic laws gradually stripped Jewish families of their rights and safety, allowing students to see how ordinary lives were disrupted step by step rather than all at once.
The presentation then focused on her grandparents’ experiences during the war in Czechoslovakia and Poland, with an emphasis on choices, resilience, and survival. Mrs. Levin concluded by discussing life after the war, the profound losses her grandparents carried, their decision to rebuild, and why Jewish identity is about more than the Holocaust alone.
A key takeaway for students was the understanding that history is made up of individual lives, that choices matter, and that speaking up in difficult moments can make a real difference.