EGN NEWS DESK
Alexander, now 101, was crowded by dozens of brokers on Wednesday, April 17, keen to listen to his story of surviving the Holocaust in addition to get a greater understanding of regulation enforcement’s function in stopping it from occurring once more.
“Millions had been persecuted due to their perceived racial and bodily inferiority, or their political, ideological or sexual id,” mentioned FBI Assistant Director in Charge Mehtab Syed. “At the FBI, our mandate is to uphold the regulation and to safeguard the civil rights and civil liberties of each citizen.”
“Just as we should always remember the atrocities of the Holocaust, we should always remember the tasks we maintain as a regulation enforcement and nationwide safety group,” Syed mentioned.
Alexander was 16 years previous dwelling in Poland amongst a European Jewish inhabitants of greater than 9.5 million individuals when the Nazis invaded in 1938. Soon after, his household was forcibly relocated to the Warsaw Ghetto, after which Alexander was despatched off to what can be his first focus camp.
“My mother and father, my two sisters and my brother,” Alexander mentioned. “I by no means noticed them once more.”
Despite the uncertainty of ever seeing his household once more, he made it his aim to keep up hope and to remain alive.
Across 11 extra focus camps over a five-year interval, Alexander confronted many life or dying moments, together with an encounter with Josef Mengele, a German officer nicknamed the “Angel of Death” at Auschwitz. When Alexander arrived, captives had been being sorted in two strains, with one group being led off to be put to work whereas the others had been led to their dying within the fuel chambers.
Alexander was sorted into the latter group, and as he approached his doubtless dying, he snuck into the work line.
The final camp Alexander would go to towards his will was within the German city of Landsberg am Lech.
“We needed to march throughout the mountains to get there, and we might hear the preventing with the Americans behind us,” he mentioned.
In 1945, the Americans liberated his camp and for the primary time in a very long time, Alexander was free.
He remained in Germany for one more 5 years earlier than immigrating to the United States. When requested by a member of the group why he selected to stay in Germany and whether or not that was scary for him, Alexander replied “No.”
“The Americans had been there, and I used to be secure,” he mentioned. ” I survived. Hitler didn’t.”In the many years that adopted, Alexander made it his mission to go to colleges and organizations to coach and remind others of what occurs when antisemitism, or different types of discrimination, are allowed to flourish.
In 2023, there was a complete of 8,873 incidents of antisemitism throughout the nation – a 140 p.c enhance from 2022, in line with the Anti-Defamation League. It was the very best stage recorded for the reason that ADL began monitoring incidents of antisemitism in 1979.
“We have to face for individuals who should not right here at present by standing as much as antisemitism, and by talking out towards any type of bigotry,” mentioned Special Agent Corey McFadden.
At the top of his discuss, Alexander, who nonetheless makes common instructional visits throughout the nation, was introduced by brokers with a certificates of outstanding service within the public curiosity, in addition to a yarmulke embroidered with the FBI brand.
“The solely solution to cease this from occurring once more is training,” Alexander mentioned.
