A group of 65 students from Key West High School and four parent chaperones recently completed a visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. The program included a private tour, historical video screenings, and a rare opportunity to hear direct testimony from survivors.

The highlight of the trip was a presentation by 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Allan Hall. Born in Poland, Mr. Hall shared his childhood story of spending over two years hiding in a closet with his mother, surviving two concentration camps, and his younger brother being born in a basement bomb shelter.

The powerful testimony sparked deep engagement, with students, who stayed long after the presentation to ask questions and speak privately with Mr. Hall and his wife. The emotional weight of Hall's testimony led to profound moments of reflection from students leaving an obvious lasting impression. Some expressed plans to return to the memorial with their parents in the future.

Organizer and teacher Kyla Shoemaker emphasized that despite the logistics of a four-hour journey, the trip remains vital to fulfilling Elie Wiesel's mandate: “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”