Article by Phoenix writer Sophia Kelly ’26:
On April 19, many of our sophomores attended the Holocaust Museum in Glen Cove to learn about the history, experience, and persecution of Jewish people during World War II.
The students got a tour of the museum and heard the story of Arnie Newfield, a survivor of the Holocaust.
Anthony Custodio-Peña, a student from the group, says, “Mr. Newfield talked about his childhood since he was born in the Holocaust. He had two brothers and his parents ended up in two different countries.”
Newfield further shared with the students that he wound up with his mother and one of his brothers in a separate country from his father and other brother.
His mother had to make the decision to either put him on a train or go walking across two countries to safety. She sent him on the train and the family was reunited right before the concentration camps were liberated.
This testament from Mr. Newfield provided all present the opportunity to develop a broader understanding of how the Holocaust affected Jewish families.
Anthony also shared another part of Mr. Newfield’s testimony: “He said that even if you had a drop of Jewish blood in you, you were killed. Families were separated, not knowing if they would see each other again.”
Mr. Newfield’s experience proves how what we learn in the classroom has been lived by people who are still alive to tell their story.
The rest of the day consisted of a tour, where the group was able to keep discovering facts about this historical event.
Overall, the students and faculty are grateful they were able to have the opportunity to go to the museum and grow their knowledge on the Holocaust.