Holocaust survivor Peter Metzelaar will be speaking to the junior class on Friday, April 15, about his experiences during World War II. The assembly will run from 10 to 11:25 a.m.

During his speech, Metzelaar talks about how the Dutch Underground hid him and his mother from the Nazis. Metzelaar was only 7 at this time, and spent three years in hiding. For two of those years, Metzelaar and his mother lived with the Klaas and Roefina Post family until it became too unsafe and they moved in with another family. They stayed there for about eight months, but after learning that the family was going to turn them in, they fled.

Almost 50 years later, Metzelaar went back to Amsterdam in search of the Post family to thank them for their kindness. To his great disappointment, they had passed away 10 years prior, but he did manage to get in touch with their daughters.

The Holocaust Center for Humanity, the organization that Metzelaar represents, teaches tolerance and citizenship, and they show how it’s possible to introduce Holocaust studies into school curriculum.

This information is courtesy of the Holocaust Center for Humanity.