I wanted to shared with you all the awesome notes the students at McQueen High School wrote. Joe, Paul and I gave a brief Holocaust presentation in May. There must have been over 70 students, plus staff. It was an occasion I won’t soon forget! We had a brief question and answer sessions and then afterward the kids wanted to take their picture with Joe. I brought excerpts from Joe’s memoir with me to hand out to the students, the first four chapters or so, and the kids wanted Joe to sign their copy. We had a spectacular afternoon at McQueen High School, and I hope we can come again next year!
The students were so touched and inspired by Joseph’s story and their heartfelt letters show it:
“I’m very glad Joe survived the Holocaust. He might’ve been atheist at the time, but I want him to know that God is the reason for him to still be alive and able to survive the Holocaust. To be honest, I wasn’t really interested in the Holocaust because I have a hard time paying attention, but when I heard we were going to have Joe come as a survivor of the Holocaust my attention was immediately grabbed. Thank you again.” A.
“You are so inspirational, and I admire you. My friend and I have a project on the Holocaust and what you said showed us a different side of what happened. You are such an inspiration to my friend and I.” J.B.
“This letter is a way of me saying thank you for sharing this remarkable story. To hear the struggle and strength and chance it took you to survive touched my heart and soul to the core and made me realize that life as we know it goes fast with a ton of struggles ahead of us…I read the first few chapters of your book and was enthralled through the entire thing! Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to the book.” S.A.
“Thank you so much for attending McQueen High School. Your story was truly inspiring and I will remember it for forever.” H.B.
“I learned many things, such as the way that only people with skills deemed useful to the Nazi cause were allowed to live in the ghettos. The stories of your struggle for survival, your intelligence mixing with luck to miraculously save you from the most desperate situations, touched me and made an impression my mind (and heart) that will not ever fade. Thank you.” D.
“I know that reliving those memories must be a tough and unpleasant thing to do, but you do it anyway to expand young minds like mine, and for that, I am grateful. My knowledge of the events of the Holocaust is little, and I wish to expand it. The opportunity to see you and hear your story was rare and greatly appreciated. I am still a kid, but I have been told I am the future as well. The Holocaust is an important and dark past of human history; as the future of America and possibly the world, I find it my duty to never let history like this repeat itself ever again. Again thank you for visiting McQueen High School.” E.
“I am honestly speechless. I am so amazed that after all you went through your still alive. You have honestly inspired me so much every day now that I think my life sucks I just think of you and all the stuff you had to go through and I realize my life isn’t that bad. I am so thankful that you cam to our school on the 15th of May. Sitting there listening to your story was so amazing, you’ve inspired me so much to live my life to the fullest and love as much as possible.” L.D.
“Your story really touched my heart. Since 5th grade I have read and watched everything I could about the Holocaust, for the simple reason that I feel if we do not learn from the past we are doomed to repeat the same mistake in the present. What you went through was horrific, but you have amazed me and everyone you spoke too with your story of survival. I look up to you because you survived under immense odds. I was with my younger sister when your story was being told. She talks about how amazed she is by you. The Holocaust was a dark time in the history of this earth and I pray it is never epeated. you have left an impact on my life and my sisters and I thank you for that. You have encouraged me to be more thankful what I have.” D.P.
Such nice well-though out sentiments of the young minds here in our little town.
Joe and I will be doing two more library presentations in September 2014:
September 19, 4-6 p.m. at Incline Village Library.
September 27, 2-4 p.m. Sparks Library.
If you want to read an excerpt from THE ALTERED I: MEMOIR OF JOSEPH KEMPLER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR click this link ISSUU-sample.
THE ALTERED I is available on Amazon.com and Google Play books. Find me on Goodreads too!
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