Eighth-grade students at Seneca Middle School recently attended a captivating assembly program presented by Holocaust survivor Irving Roth. 

As a young boy, Mr. Roth was separated from his family and taken to Auschwitz, where he was forced by Nazi soldiers to work long hours with very limited food. Mr. Roth survived his time at Auschwitz but was transported to Buchenwald, another concentration camp that was liberated in 1945. 

Mr. Roth spoke with students about the numerous social injustices he endured when German soldiers took over Czechoslovakia and how his family was forced into hiding in Hungary. His stories depicted the horrible living conditions he faced during his time at Auschwitz and how his ordinary way of living was taken from him by Nazi soldiers. 

Following the assembly Mr. Roth joined a small group of students for refreshments and answered student-prepared questions about his experiences. Students asked about his connection with other survivors, family and current world issues. 

The visit from Mr. Roth serves as an excellent introduction to upcoming lessons on social injustice as part of the humanities unit.