Mr. Jerry Reuter, Holocaust Survivor, Speaks in Teaneck High in a Kristallnacht Commemoration

Teaneck High School was honored to host Mr. Jerry Reuter in a program marking the anniversary of Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, the pogrom of 1938 which sparked the fires of the Holocaust.

Mr. Reuter, a 92 year old survivor of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, slave labor camps, and death marches, stood before a hushed group of over 300 students as he told the story of his many years in concentration camps.  Mr. Reuter was 11 when he saw the synagogues burning on the night of Kristallnacht, and he was 13 when he was separated from his family and taken to Buchenwald.  He never saw his family again. 

Mr. Reuter, in a clear and strong voice, described his days at Auschwitz and reminded students that throughout his ordeal, he never lost faith, and that he found many people who tried to help the Jews despite the danger to themselves.

When Mr. Reuter was 19, after three months of hiding in the forest, he was liberated.  He weighed 68 pounds and lay in a coma for days.   He later came to the United States with other refugees and volunteered for the army, and he served overseas until the end of the war.  He now volunteers in Englewood hospital on a regular basis.

We are so grateful to be able to hear from a witness to history who is willing to share his remarkable story.  We are especially grateful to Mr. Reuter for his thoughtful and attentive responses to the many questions that students asked.  

The program, which coincided with the one year anniversary of the murders in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, was the most memorable in recent years.   We thank Mr. Reuter again for his determination to speak about his experiences.  It truly enables all of us to become part of a living chain of witnesses to the Holocaust.