Local leaders intervene to secure Holocaust survivor’s invitation

The Bridge Multicultural Project’s president Mark Appel, pictured receiving a recognition certificate from Congressmember Yvette D. Clarke, has recently denounced a fall 2025 decision by a school principal to deny a speaking invitation to Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann. Appel’s plea was among many voices that convinced the school to change its mind.
Photo credit: Francesca N. Tate/Brooklyn Eagle, © 2017

BOERUM HILL — AN 85-YEAR-OLD HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR’S INVITATION TO SPEAK AT A BROOKLYN MIDDLE SCHOOL has finally been granted, CBS News and other sources reported. Sami Steigmann will speak about his experiences during the Holocaust at M.S. 447, also known as The Math & Science Exploratory School, in February, the United Jewish Teachers told reporters.

M.S. 447 Principal Arin Rusch last month declined a parent’s request to invite Mr. Steigmann as a speaker after she read Steigmann’s website, deciding that his viewpoints and statements on Israel and Palestine would be inappropriate for her students. However, city officials, including Mayor Eric Adams and City Councilmember Inna Vernikov, R-48, denounced her move.

Likewise, Mark Appel, president of the Flatbush-based Bridge Multicultural Project, also condemned Principal Rusch’s refusal. “Steigmann does not speak about current Middle East politics in his formal presentations. His lectures focus solely on the Holocaust, the dangers of hatred, and the moral responsibility of young people to stand against bigotry. His personal story transcends politics; it is a testament to survival, dignity, and historical truth,” Appel wrote.

Moshe Stern of the United Jewish Teachers and Department of Education Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos are also credited with rectifying the situation.

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