In New York City — a city built by immigrants, shaped by Jewish courage, and home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel — a Brooklyn middle school principal has ignited outrage.
MS 447 Principal Arin Rusch denied a parent’s request to bring Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann to speak to students, claiming his “messages around Israel and Palestine” make him inappropriate for a public-school setting.
Steigmann, 85, survived Nazi medical experiments as a child. He speaks to students across the country about antisemitism, courage, resilience, and moral responsibility.
He does not speak about political parties.
He does not campaign.
He does not incite.
But he is a proud Jew who believes Israel has a right to exist — and that was enough for this school to close its doors.
In an email to parents, Rusch wrote:
“I don’t think Sami’s presentation is right for our public school setting, given his messages around Israel and Palestine.”
The message was unmistakable:
A Holocaust survivor is welcome — but only if he does not express support for the Jewish state.
Erasing a Survivor Because He Loves Israel
Steigmann’s home page and bio mention nothing about the current war. He simply affirms what 98% of American Jews affirm: Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas.
In one online talk, he said:
“In every generation they tried to annihilate us. We prevailed.”
He also encourages students to learn from StandWithUs, a respected non-partisan organization that educates about Israel and fights antisemitism.
This was enough to raise a red flag for the principal.
Meanwhile, Steigmann has received prestigious awards, including:
The Harmony Power Award at the Museum of Tolerance
A formal honor from the New York State Assembly for “courage, compassion, and service”
He regularly speaks in schools, houses of worship, civic organizations, and military groups.
But not — apparently — in Brooklyn’s District 15.
Jewish Educators: “This Is Censorship.”
The backlash was swift.
Moshe Spern, president of the United Jewish Teachers, called the decision:
“Appalling, discriminatory, personally offensive.”
And he asked the haunting question:
“Are we now censoring Holocaust survivors for their views of Israel?”
He noted that few survivors remain alive:
“There are only so many survivors out there who still speak.”
To silence one because he is pro-Israel is, in his words, “not meeting the moment.”
New York is facing a surge of antisemitic incidents — including mobs shouting threats outside synagogues and violent anti-Israel riots in public schools. At a time when students desperately need moral clarity, one school chose moral evasion.
“This Is Viewpoint Discrimination.”
Brooklyn City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, herself a Ukrainian-born Jew, blasted the decision:
“It is particularly abhorrent to deny someone who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust the opportunity to share his experience — particularly now, when antisemitism is skyrocketing among our youth.”
She warned the school may be violating the First Amendment by engaging in viewpoint discrimination, targeting a speaker not for anything hateful he said — but for being openly, unapologetically Jewish.
Mayor’s Office: “Not the Right Fit.”
In a disappointing turn, Mayor Eric Adams’s office defended the principal, saying simply:
“This speaker wasn’t the right fit.”
A Holocaust survivor
who survived Nazi experiments
who teaches students to “choose wisely” and “never be a bystander” —
not the right fit?
For many Jewish families — and for Christian allies — the message is chilling.
If even the victims of the Holocaust must silence their Jewish identity to be welcomed in a public school, something foundational has cracked.
A Survivor’s Story the School Didn’t Want Students to Hear
Sami Steigmann was born in Ukraine in 1939. He spent ages 2–5 in the Mogilev-Podolsky forced-labor camp. He endured starvation and Nazi medical experimentation so severe he suffered lifelong pain.
A German woman saved his life by secretly giving him milk.
His message today is simple:
“Never be a bystander — be an UPSTANDER.”
He teaches love, courage, responsibility, and moral clarity.
It is hard to imagine a more “appropriate” speaker for young Americans.
For Those Who Love Israel and the Jewish People
Christian women who stand with Israel know this deeply:
When support for Israel becomes the reason to exclude a Jewish elder, the problem is not the speaker — it is the climate.
This is what happens when:
Israel is demonized in public discourse
Antisemitism is excused as “political disagreement”
Holocaust memory is detached from Jewish identity
A society that censors its survivors is a society in moral danger.
As Scripture warns:
“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.”
— Deuteronomy 32:7
To forget — or to silence — those who lived it is to repeat it.
What We Must Do
As modern-day Esthers, we can:
Pray for protection over Jewish students and teachers
Speak up when schools drift into antisemitism
Tell the truth about Israel, Jewish identity, and the Holocaust
Support survivors whose voices are being pushed out of the public square
We cannot control a principal’s decision — but we can refuse to allow silence to win.
Sami Steigmann survived the Nazis.
He should not have to survive American school bureaucracy.
Source:
New York Post — “NYC principal denies request for Holocaust survivor to speak at school: ‘Given his messages,’” December 2, 2025. https://nypost.com/2025/12/02/us-news/nyc-principal-denies-request-for-holocaust-survivor-to-speak-at-school-given-his-messages/
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