Jack Adler visited LHS on Tuesday to tell his story about surviving the Holocaust to a large group of students and faculty members.

So many people attended this event that it had to be moved from the auditorium to the large gym. Both balconies and the floor bleachers were pulled out to accommodate for all the students and staff. Even then students were sitting on the gym floor to hear Adler’s speech.

For many students listening to Adler was a rare and unforgettable experience. Adler spoke to the students and staff about his tragic experience of surviving the holocaust.

However, it wasn’t the story that was as influential as the message of stopping hate that he told to the students. He stressed the point “Do unto other as you wish other do unto you.” He told students that we live in a great nation and we need people not to hate to counter act those who do hate, so we can all remain a great nation.

At the end students were aloud to ask Adler about his experiences and story. One student asked Adler what his reaction was to people saying the Holocaust never happened? Adler, with no hesitation replied, “I tell them the world is flat.”

After answering a few more questions, students rose to their feet to give Adler a standing ovation for his inspirational speech. On the way out of the gym students received anti-hate buttons to wear to support the idea of a hate free world.

After going back to the classrooms the halls were buzzing with people talking about Adler and his story. Students and teachers were amazed at Adler’s determination to survive. Back in the classrooms teachers asked students their thoughts on Adler. Students were shocked, most couldn’t believe that this happened. Students were stumped by the way people could treat another person so horribly because of their beliefs. Students were amazed when Adler told the audience that he was the only one of six in his immediate family to survive and five out of 85 to survive in his distant family.

In Mrs. Scimeca’s third block Psychology class junior Elyssa Dreher said, “It felt like he was reading from a book, and not recalling his past life.” The discussion arose about having Adler there to tell the story. Students talked about how having Adler there made it more real. Having it told straight to you in person doesn’t compare to having it told to you in a different form. The television shows, the movies and the books cant even compare to this real life experience.