Hero’s and Survivor’s Stories
Over 100 students and community members attended a moving veterans day event hosted by the the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, B’nai Brith and Hillel at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The event featured WW II hero Dr. Howard Schlossman and Holocaust survivor Raymond Fishler.
Raymond Fishler is a Holocaust survivor who has dedicated his life to making sure that the world remembers our promise of “never again.” Raymond was born in a small town near Krakow, Poland. He was 14 when the Germans invaded his community. His father was a leader and was given advance warning that the entire town would be liquidated and warned everyone he could to hide. Raymond was sent with his father to the Krakow-Plaszow Camp, which is the camp also depicted in Schindler’s List. He also was in the Auschwitz concentration camp and then forced to march towards the Czech border, when he and his father made their escape. Raymond is the author of Once There Were Eight, so titled because his mother and 5 siblings did not survive. Raymond speaks frequently to students and adults to keep the memory of the lessons of the Holocaust alive.
Dr. Howard Schlossman is a World War II Veteran whose life was changed by his service to the US military. Dr. Schlossman served for 4 l/2 years as a medic with the 68th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division. Among his war time feats were treating and evacuating wounded soldiers under intense mortar and artillery fire in France and helping the wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. Dr. Schlossman received the Bronze Star for bravery and the French Legion of Honor insignia, which is one of France’s greatest military awards. Dr. Schlossman grew up in Brooklyn, planned to be an obstetrician, but was motivated by his war time experiences to become a psychiatrist. One of his contributions includes an essay, Character Changes in Battle, written for International Psychoanalysis. Dr. Schlossman left his psychiatry practice at age 95. On Sunday he celebrated his 100th birthday.