{"id":71242,"date":"2025-12-15T17:07:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T17:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/71242\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T17:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T17:07:08","slug":"holocaust-survivor-invited-to-speak-at-brooklyn-public-school-following-initial-rejection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/71242\/","title":{"rendered":"Holocaust survivor invited to speak at Brooklyn public school following initial rejection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"entrance\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Sami Steigmann, 86, (inset) lived to tell his heartwrenching story about surviving a labor camp in Nazi Germany during World War II. He and many of his supporters were shocked when Principal Arin Rusch of MS 447 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, denied a parent\u2019s request to have him speak to the\u00a0students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photo via Google Maps\/Inset via Facebook, Sami Steigmann<\/p>\n

A Holocaust survivor who was denied a speaking engagement<\/a> at a public school in Brooklyn has now received an official invitation to address students at the school in February, city officials confirmed on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sami Steigmann, 86, survived the Holocaust, but was rejected and silenced from speaking at MS 447 in Boerum Hill last month. But following public outcry, he will now visit the school on Feb. 5 to address students and tell his story of surviving a labor camp in Nazi Germany during World War ll.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Council Member Inna Vernikov said Steigmann was even offered additional speaking engagements as a result of the backlash.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSami Steigman, the Holocaust survivor who was rejected from speaking at MS 447 will now be speaking at MS 447 on Feb. 5,\u201d Vernikov said. \u201cOther speaking opportunities were offered to him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for NYC Public Schools confirmed the date.\n<\/p>\n

Vernikov said she spoke to Steigmann, who said he is \u201cextremely grateful\u201d to those who advocated on his behalf.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he also wanted to stress that this is not about him and that he feels a sense of responsibility for all Holocaust survivors who are still alive and have incredible stories to tell,\u201d the council member explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steigmann\u2019s supporters were shocked last month when Principal Arin Rusch denied a parent\u2019s request to have the survivor speak to the students at the middle school.<\/p>\n

Rusch responded to the request by saying Steigmann\u2019s presentation would not be right for the school \u201cgiven his messages around Israel and Palestine,\u201d according to an article in The Times of Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But Steigmann is a motivational speaker who has posted messages of hope and resilience, as well as history, on his website, samispeaks.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following community outrage about the rejection, Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos immediately spoke with Steigmann about collaborating with the city\u2019s public school system, the largest in the nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steigmann\u2019s supporters were pleased after learning he now has an official date to speak at the school.\n<\/p>\n

Masha Pearl, executive director of The Blue Card, a nonprofit that helps Holocaust survivors, thanked the school for reversing course and hosting Steigmann.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHolocaust survivors carry irreplaceable history, and students deserve the opportunity to hear directly from those who lived through humanity\u2019s darkest chapter,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added that The Blue Card \u201cis committed to working with MS 447\u201d to develop additional educational programs.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSurvivor testimony is education, not politics, and protecting these voices is essential at a time of rising antisemitism,\u201d Pearl said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Verikov said she was thankful to school officials for \u201crighting this wrong.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will never stay silent in the face of antisemitism and discrimination,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

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