8th grade - Holocaust Survivor Assembly
Description
On Thursday, May 11th at 9:00am the 8th graders will have the privilege of listening to the stories of a Holocaust Survivor, Mr. David Tuck. (A more detailed biography of Mr. Tuck can be found below.) This presentation affords a wonderful opportunity for curricular enrichment as the 8th graders culminate their tolerance unit and the reading of The Diary of Anne Frank. We are very fortunate to be able to offer this educational experience to our students.
Biography of Mr. Tuck:
Mr. David Tuck was born in Poland and raised by his Orthodox Jewish grandparents who insisted that he receive both a public and Hebrew education. He was 10 years old when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Within weeks, Tuck’s family was relocated to the Lodz ghetto. He spoke German well enough to work in the food ration office providing families with ration cards. Then in the spring of 1941, David was sent to a labor camp in Poland. Two years later, he was sent to another camp to construct an autobahn, finally ending up in Auschwitz in August 1943 where he worked in a sub-camp called Eintrachthütte, building anti-aircraft guns. In January 1945, Tuck was then relocated by train to Mauthausen in Austria, a brutal 370-mile trip over the course of four days. To survive, he scooped snow from the ground using a tin cup tied to his belt. He was subsequently sent to Güsen II, an underground factory to construct German aircraft. On May 5, 1945, the Americans liberated Güsen II.
Weighing just 78 pounds, Tuck spent the next several months recuperating in refugee camps before immigrating to the United States in 1950. For many years since, he has brought his story of survival and perseverance to students around the nation.