An Important Story to Tell
Manny Langer was just a regular 11-year-old boy living in Eastern Europe when his life was completely shattered. War broke out and as a Jew, he was forced out of his home and sent to live in a ghetto in his home of Lodz, Poland.
By the time he was 13, he was sent on a train known as a “cattle car” to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
“It all happened so fast and we didn’t know where we were going,” said Manny, who came to speak to the boys during Holocaust Education Week. “We travelled all day and all night and there was nowhere to go to the bathroom. When the train stopped, we saw hundreds of women shaving heads. The men and women went separately. I went with my brother, but I never saw my mother and sister again.”
Through luck, creative thinking and some work in the black market, Manny managed to survive Auschwitz and the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. After liberation, he travelled back to Poland where he found two surviving sisters. In 1946, he immigrated to the United States, and in 1951, Manny and his sisters immigrated to Canada.
An emotional Manny had this message for the boys:
“If you’re ever caught in a situation, don’t give up,” he said. “I hope you never have to live through anything like this.”
As for the boys, it was a privilege for them to have the opportunity to meet Manny, ask him questions and listen to his story.
David DiPierdomenico, Grade 10: It was very inspiring. It makes me realize how lucky we are to live this life right now and to not have experienced that terrible event in history.
Ben Venier, Grade 11: I thought it was really powerful to hear a first-hand account of that time.
Cristian Forgione, Grade 12: It was really inspiring to learn what he went through and to hear the story from someone who experienced it.
Jacob Buchan, Grade 9: It’s a very interesting experience because the whole world disappears around us. All of our pains kind of fall away as we sit there and listen to one of the worst things that happened in world history. You kind of have to be there to understand it.
Royal St. George's College
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Royal St. George's College is an independent school for boys located in The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school admits boys from Grades 3 through 12. Our mission is to challenge and inspire each of our students to become the best version of himself.