Holocaust Survivor Shares Powerful Life Story With St. Margaret’s Students

In a powerful and deeply moving recollection of survival, loss, and resilience, Upper School and Middle School students listened to a first-hand account of the Holocaust and its impact from Ruth Hermann, 97, a Holocaust survivor who was rescued from Nazi Germany as part of the 1938-1939 Kindertransport effort. 

 

Held in the Hurlbut Theater, the presentation was moderated by Upper School assistant principal James Harris along with students in his Holocaust & Contemporary Genocide course. Upper School and Middle School students were in attendance, along with several members of the professional community who gathered to hear an account that connected them to history and offered invaluable lessons about resilience, hope and the enduring power of the human spirit.

 

Mrs. Hermann is the grandmother of St. Margaret’s senior Carly Hermann. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1927, Mrs. Hermann was just a child when her life was forever changed by the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. In 1938, she and her family found themselves in the midst of the horrors of Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," a coordinated wave of anti-Jewish violence that devastated Jewish communities across Germany.

 

Mrs. Hermann recounted the terrifying night when she and her family were awakened to the sounds of violence and chaos outside their home. Her father and older brother, along with countless other Jewish men and boys, were arrested and taken away by Nazi officers. 

Soon after, Mrs. Hermann's mother arranged for her to be sent away on a Kindertransport train—one of the last opportunities for Jewish children to escape the dangers of Nazi-occupied Germany. The Kindertransport program enabled about 10,000 Jewish children to escape to safety in the United Kingdom. Mrs. Hermann vividly described boarding the train in the middle of the night, not understanding the full extent of what was happening, but knowing that she had no choice but to leave behind her family, her home, and everything she had known.

 

Eventually, she made her way to London, where she was placed in boarding school. While the Kindertransport saved her life, Mrs. Hermann never saw her immediate family again. The profound grief of losing her loved ones weighed heavily on her, and for many years, she found it too painful to speak about her past. 

 

As the years passed, Mrs. Hermann gradually came to share her experiences, becoming a voice for those whose stories might otherwise be forgotten. This week’s visit was the third time Mrs. Hermann has spoken to St. Margaret’s students, helping younger generations understand the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of remembering history. 

 

Her testimony left an indelible impression on everyone in attendance. Students were moved by her clarity and the vividness of her recollections, which spanned over 90 years of history. When asked about particular memories about the sight, sound or smell she remembers from her childhood, Mrs. Hermann reminiscently remarked: 

 

“I remember the castle by the lake that was in the middle of town, I remember even though I was really young. I remember that it was very beautiful. I remember the sound of a train whistle, and that was the train that took me away from my family to England. For smells, I remember my grandmother and aunt used to get together once a year and they would prepare raspberry syrup and I can still smell the raspberry syrup. I still love raspberries,” she said with a smile.

 

Mrs. Hermann concluded by emphasizing that her story is not just one of survival, but of the resilience of the human spirit. Her parting piece of advice emphasized the importance of respecting each other’s differences.

 

“My suggestion to all of you is to love America and respect each other,” Mrs. Hermann said. “I am a great advocate of respect and I am really thinking back in history. I think a lot of wars could have been avoided if we showed respect to each other. You are entitled to your thoughts and it might be different from mine, but they are still valid to you so I think we should all try and respect each other's opinions.” 

 

St. Margaret’s would like to thank Mrs. Hermann and the Hermann family for sharing their remarkable story with the school community.