NYC School And Mayor To Holocaust Survivor: Message Isn’t Right Fit

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According to a middle-school principal and the Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann’s views are inappropriate for a public school environment.

A Brooklyn middle-school principal denied a parent’s request to have a Holocaust survivor speak to students about antisemitism — saying the victim’s pro-Israel views are not appropriate for a public school.

MS 447 Principal Arin Rusch wrote to the parent Nov. 18 claiming Nazi labor-camp survivor Sami Steigmann’s opinions would not be “right” for the Boerum Hill school.

“In looking at his website material, I also don’t think that Sami’s presentation is right for our public school setting, given his messages around Israel and Palestine,” Rusch claimed.

Because Sami supports Israel and doesn’t support Palestine, talking to middle schoolers about the Holocaust and his experiences in a concentration camp isn’t allowed. We have too few Holocaust survivors to tell their stories. And they should be heard. Sami’s is compelling and horrifying. 

Being too young to work, per his parents, Sami was subjected to Nazi medical experimentation in his early years, but has no recollection of those years. However, he has felt and still feels the side effects every single day of his life.

When he sought compensation from the Claims Conference Compensation Program, one of the questions on the application dated Feb 8, 2002 “Were you subjected to medical experiments by the Nazi Regime?” Sami answered YES and provided the following statement:

“My parents told me that I was subjected to Nazi medical experimentation but did not go into specifics (too painful to remember.) All I know is that I suffered all my life from neck, head and back problems.  The severity was so great that I had days and weeks that I could not sit, lay down or walk (not all at the same time). My headaches were so severe that I was crying in pain. My parents and the other witnesses are all gone, therefore, I hope that this information will suffice.”

Today’s children need to understand what hatred of a people solely because of their religion can lead to. Vilified, demonized, brutalized, and starved to death. Add to that, horrific medical experimentation on innocents. THAT story is what the children at Brooklyn’s MS 447 should be hearing. 

Instead, Principal Arin Rusch took note of some of his comments regarding how, in the face of hate Jews and Israel have always prevailed, and decided “given his messages,” he’s unfit to speak to those students. 

The Mayor’s office AGREED with that sentiment. 

“Mayor Adams is dedicated to ensuring all New Yorkers — particularly our students and young adults — hear stories from the genocide and oppression of the Holocaust, so we never again perpetrate such evil,” a City Hall spokesman said.

“While this speaker wasn’t the right fit, we will continue to ensure our students hear from the living survivors of this history into the future.”

So, according to Hizzoner’s office, only someone who supports Palestine and Hamas terrorists, yet happens to be a Holocaust survivor is allowed to speak at a public school. I’d say it’s unbelievable, but given that antisemitism crawled out from under all the rocks after October 7, it’s sadly and infuriatingly too believable. 

NYC schools have tried to bury pro-Palestine activists targeting Jewish teachers, and promoted a Stop Gaza genocide toolkit until public outcry shut that down. Furthermore, as we’ve written on multiple occasions, Columbia University has been a hotbed of antisemitic protests since October 7. 

Sami Steigmann’s story MUST be told. It NEEDS to be told.

His story shouldn’t be censored. 

A pro-Israel Holocaust survivor who was turned away from speaking to Brooklyn middle schoolers about antisemitism called the rejection “censorship” and slammed the Adams administration for defending the principal’s controversial denial.

Sami Steigmann, 85, insisted that if principal Arin Rusch actually spoke to him, he would have been able to convince her that he would steer clear of hot-button Middle Eastern events — but he was never given a chance before being denied the opportunity to talk to kids at MS 447 in Boerum Hill.

“My role is to educate the next generation about the Holocaust, about what hate can do. About the attempt to annihilate a group of people,” he told The Post.

“I teach about preventing hate,” he added. “How can you prevent hate if you don’t talk about it?”

Exactly. But far too many “educators” are all about one-sided political narratives.

A Holocaust survivor’s support for his homeland of Israel is problematic. He’s not the right kind you see.

The message from that Principal Arin Rusch and Mayor Adams is very clear. Jews, even those who survived the Holocaust, aren’t allowed if you are vocal about your support for Israel. 

Feature Photo Credit: Sami Steigmann via his Facebook page, cropped and modified

The post NYC School And Mayor To Holocaust Survivor: Message Isn’t Right Fit appeared first on Victory Girls Blog.



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