Nearly 100 students in 8th and 9th grade gathered in the auditorium at TJ Walker Middle School in Sturgeon Bay on Friday, May 30th for a special presentation. They were joined by 86-year-old Holocaust survivor Ida Paluch Kersz who told her story of growing up during the invasion of Poland. Her recollection, filled with sorrow and perseverance, left students with an unforgettable lesson in both history and courage.
Kersz, who was born in Sosnowiec, Poland in 1939, spoke with students about struggles in her early life. She had experienced living in an over-crowded ghetto with her family, the sudden death of her mother, and having to hide and live in constant fear of the Gestapo, a secret group of German police under Nazi rule.
“We had to cover the windows with blankets so the police couldn’t see where to throw the bombs and on the streets there were places where the Gestapos were standing on the street corners and for no reason, they would grab people and take them to a working camp,” said Kersz, “so we were always scared and walking on the street was not safe.”
Students listened intently, many wiping away tears, as Kersz discussed a luxury that they tend to take for granted: shoes and warm clothes. She also spoke of food scarcity and hunger since food from local Polish farms was used to feed the German soldiers and detailed having to forage for scraps and potato peels for sustenance.
“When there were holes in my shoes in the middle of winter, my mother would stuff them with paper, that’s how bad it was that we didn’t have proper clothes,” Kersz added.
After being orphaned, Kersz shared that she was smuggled through a barbed wire fence by a Christian man. The man’s selfless act saved Ida’s life, but also meant she could no longer see her other family. Later, it took a by-chance article and photograph found by a friend for her to find out that her twin brother, Adam, survived a concentration camp. Adam and Ida were happily reunited after 52 years apart.
James Downey, a parent of an 8th grade student, was able to facilitate having Kersz come in to speak through his connection with the Spungen Foundation, which is devoted to Holocaust education and refugees. He felt bringing awareness to students about history, world events, and refugee stories was crucial.
“Those sort of things are still happening today and we have refugees in our community from Ukraine, Syria, we have some from Ethiopia," said Downey, “it’s important for them to see these stories be told so we can try to not repeat them.”
Despite her life being filled with great difficulty, Kersz hopes that by speaking out and sharing her story, students learn to be kind to one another and to fight hate. She currently volunteers at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie, IL to continue to spread that message.
