Holocaust Survivor Marion Lazan Shares Powerful Message with Herricks Middle School Students

Photos courtesy of Herricks Public Schools.

By Williston Post Staff

On April 29, Herricks Middle School had the profound honor of welcoming Holocaust survivor and author Marion Lazan for an assembly with seventh grade students. Sharing her personal story, as told in her memoir Four Perfect Pebbles, Ms. Lazan recounted her harrowing experience as a child imprisoned in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during World War II.

She described surviving unimaginable conditions—including two weeks on a train without food, water, or restrooms—at just nine years old and weighing only 35 pounds. Tragically, her father did not survive. After the war, she was nursed back to health and eventually emigrated to the United States with her mother and brother.

Ms. Lazan showed students the yellow Star of David patch she was forced to wear as a child—an enduring symbol of the Holocaust’s cruelty. With compassion and clarity, she urged students to embrace kindness, respect, and empathy—and to carry her story forward so that history is never repeated.

Following her heartfelt presentation, Ms. Lazan warmly met with every student, answering questions, signing books, and offering words of encouragement and hugs. Herricks Middle School looks forward to welcoming her back on May 20 to speak with the eighth grade class.