Deer Park High School and librarian Evan DeNaro welcomed Holocaust survivor Jeannie Parnes Wechsler to the high school library on March 7 and 8. Social studies classes taught by Joe Alo, Marissa Caruso, Hunter Hayes and Kerry Walsh, along with many high school staff members, sat down with Wechsler as she shared her stories and experiences from those horrific years. Over the course of World War II, the Parnes family of two parents and seven children experienced many miracles that resulted in all nine members surviving the war and remaining together.

“Jeannie’s story is one to remind the people of today that events such as the Holocaust must never again come to pass,” Alo said. “It reminds us that we must remain vigilant in taking a stand against the hate and intolerance against people of other religions, races, and ethnicities so that no one experiences an event like this. Jeannie expressed that it was always her mother’s wish that she tell the story of her family during the Holocaust, and by being with students and staff at Deer Park High School, Jeannie was able to continue to fulfill the wishes of her mother.”

At the conclusion of her visit, Wechsler was asked if she had any lasting messages for those in attendance.

“I look out at all of your beautiful faces and I see people of different races and religions all together and learning as one,” Wechsler said with a smile. “This is the way things should be. The similarities in our lives must outweigh the differences and by working together, we can make a better world, a world that we will all be blessed to live in.”

Date Added: 4/25/2024