Holocaust Remembrance Day

Written by Ivy Siegel, Coordinator for Campus Life

FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus hosted the Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th and was sponsored by the Student Government Association and Multifaith Council.  Joe Sachs, a Holocaust Survivor and member of the Holocaust Memorial, spoke about his experiences living in the concentration camps.

The 27th of January is a day where we pause to reflect on what can happen when racism, prejudice and exclusionary behavior are left unchecked. This date was also the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Union in 1945.

Joe was born in Poland in 1926 and spoke to the students about how at an early age he was exposed to boycotts and negative behavior against the Jews. This caused his family to move to another town to avoid this; however in 1939 the German troops invaded his home town and by the age of 13 Joe was taken by the Nazi. He was the only living member of his family that was rescued during the liberation.  He then went on to live in the transition tents and this is where he met his wife. Joe Sachs currently travels around to various schools, religious organizations and groups to speak about his life experiences. He is also a member of the Holocaust Memorial Museum and provides tours to guests.