Alan Moskin, World War II Veteran and Concentration Camp Liberator
“Let’s get some ground rules in place,” he began. “Sit up straight. If you yawn, cover your mouth. What I’m going to tell you deserves your respect."
Students shifted in their seats.
“I wear this cap whenever I speak,” said Moskin, referring to his blue cap which displayed the words 71st Infantry Division, WWII. “It makes me feel connected to my buddies who never made it home."
Through vivid stories, Moskin told students about losing friends in combat through France, Germany, and Austria, and an encounter with the venomous hate of Hitler Youth. He also told them about walking through the forest and stumbling on the Gunskirchen Concentration Camp.
"It was the most horrific site I’ve ever witnessed," said Moskin. "There was a pile of skeletons to my right and to my left—but they were still alive. I couldn’t distinguish male from female. I thought to myself, what is going on here?”
The prisoners smiled and said, “Danke.” An elderly man wanted to kiss his boots. Moskin cried.
“This is the hard part for me—but I tell myself I have to do it,” he continued. “Sully, Rich. Toby. Sanders. Mitch. . . “ He recited the names of the 71st Infantry who died in the war.
“I bear witness and I want you to bear witness for me when I’m gone," said Moskin. "Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
“I’m an upstander and I want you to be an upstander,” concluded Moskin. “If friends are using derogatory terms about people, tell them to knock it off. It starts with you."
John Jay's Commitment to History
“Last year, Holocaust survivor Judith Altman came to speak to the eigth graders,” said Rich Leprine, Principal of John Jay Middle School. “Her message and the response from the students were powerful. This year, social studies teachers were committed to bringing another speaker who could personally convey the horrors of the Holocaust.”
“My students were overwhelmingly moved by Mr. Moskin's courage and service,” said Paul Ciancio, the social studies teacher who arranged the assembly. “Many students commented on how his experiences helped them understand how prejudice can mislead young people.”
