NEW YORK — A Brooklyn middle school principal has come under fire after declining a request for Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann to address students, a decision that has drawn criticism from Jewish educators, community leaders, and elected officials, according to a report in the New York Post.
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The incident occurred at MS 447 in Boerum Hill, where Principal Arin Rusch rejected a parent’s proposal for Steigmann to speak about his experience surviving Nazi persecution. Rusch cited concerns about the survivor’s publicly expressed support for Israel and said his presentation would not be suitable for the school environment.
Steigmann, 85, is widely known for speaking to students across the country about the Holocaust and antisemitism. His website and public biography do not reference the current Israel-Hamas conflict, and he has a long track record of nonpolitical educational programs in schools.
🚨 It’s ABHORRENT to deny someone who lived through the horrors of the Holocaust the opportunity to share his experience with students — particularly during a time when antisemitism is SKYROCKETING among our youth.
From my review of the e-mail sent to the survivor, this… https://t.co/xh3O2KkmfT
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) December 3, 2025
Jewish educators and community advocates criticized the decision, arguing that excluding a Holocaust survivor during a period of rising antisemitism sends a troubling message. They also noted that few survivors remain who are able to personally share their stories with students.
The New York City Department of Education defended the principal, stating that schools must ensure guest speakers avoid political advocacy on current conflicts. City Hall also supported the decision while stressing the importance of Holocaust education more broadly.
Steigmann was born in 1939 in what is now Ukraine and survived a Nazi labor camp in early childhood. He later became a prominent speaker on issues of tolerance and historical memory.
The episode adds to a series of recent controversies within the school system involving antisemitism, including concerns over educational materials, student protests, and administrative decisions viewed by Jewish groups as insensitive or exclusionary.
Further discussions between community leaders and education officials are expected in the coming days.
Despicable
As the generation of the survivors wanes, it’s so important that they get their first hand message out there. This principal is going to have to have to maintain a very careful track record who her future speakers are because she has drawn this scrutiny to her bigoted self.
Another valid reason if one was needed to send Yiddishe kinder to Jewish schools. No Jewish child no matter how secular they may be should be in a Public school today. I’m sure this POS principal would have no problem with a barbaric paly murderer speaking to the children.
Yup.
Once again we don’t count.
The neighborhood is were Chuck lives and is a bastion of of leftists anti Semites anti Americans Somehow this isn’t surprising
Big deal.it wont change antisemitism thats in the dna of eisav
It is very important for all to hear the stories from the few remaining Holocaust survivors.
Would Satmar let him speak in their schools or would they as well bar him as a Zionist?
Why is it OK for Satmar to bar someone they consider a Zionist, but not OK for a public school?
You sent
Bernhard Rosenberg
On Channukah, we commemorate how the Syrian
Greeks attempted to assimilate us into their Hellenist
belief system and to abandon our Judaism. Hellenism
was the flavor of the day at the time. Today it might be
the neo-Marxism of Mamdani or the neo-Fascism of
Carlson and Fuentes.
We take comfort this Channukah in knowing that we
have always outlasted our enemies. That doesn’t mean
we don’t remain vigilant in the meantime. But it does
mean we don’t let those enemies ruin our commitment
to living Jewish lives in a state of Simcha (joy) and
confidence. RABBI
im calling on eric adams to repremend her
Perhaps the principal has family that are Nazis can’t take the truth
Sami Steigmann suggests Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg as a member of the Holocaust Council 2025-12-03 on Vimeo
Sami Steigmann
1h
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WE WON!!!!! We will not be silenced. KUDOS to Matthew (Moishe) Spern who started this whole thing.
When I say WE, it means that this is not my victory, because a lot of people were involved. This is the victory of all the survivors (not to be silenced) and the Jewish people. I was/am just the face/representative. THANK YOU ALL (including Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg) for believing in me, your strong support and all the wonderful comments.
AM ISRAEL CHAI.
istn eric adams our best friend?
Would a Jewish school be comfortable with a ‘Palestinian’ speaking about ‘nakba’, l’havdil?