In the days leading up to North High’s first Witness Project event of the year, student event planners Isabel Nejat and Asher Davidson spent their afternoons hanging posters throughout the hallways, cafeterias and classrooms. Furthermore, officers of the Witness Project coordinated with teachers and announced the event during the morning announcements of the event on the morning of Nov. 12, spreading the word about the meaningful event. The posters were designed to stand out to students who were interested in the club or who might not have known much about the Witness Project.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, many students filled the BK Arena as Arnie Newfield, an inspiring Holocaust survivor, arrived to share his words. The room was quiet and respectful prior to the moment when Arnie began sharing his testimony. The students who joined understood the significance of hearing from one of the few remaining survivors able to speak firsthand about the Holocaust.
“It was so nice to see so many students show up to hear Arnie Newfield share his testimony on the Holocaust,” sophomore Isabel Nejat said. “The event was successful and truly meaningful for everyone who attended.”
“I’m totally convinced that my uncle was the only reason that I wasn’t placed in a displacement person camp,” Holocaust survivor Arnie Newfield said.
He went on to describe how as a young child, he and his family survived by hiding behind a bookbinder’s house. Throughout his testimony, Newfield spoke openly about the personal impact of his experiences, explaining that the Holocaust never fully leaves a survivor.
”Although I was a child during my time in the concentration camp, I still feel the effects today,” Holocaust survivor Arnie Newfield said. “I now get extremely claustrophobic in common places.”
Though he shared many heavy moments from his childhood, he also reflected on gratitude. He shared that he feels as if he is the luckiest man in the world. Not only because he survived the Holocaust, but because of his six beautiful grandchildren who shaped his life.
“Don’t be a victim,”Newfield said. “If you’re a victim, you’re always angry, and that leads to a shorter life.”
One of the lessons he emphasized most strongly was about resilience. Newfield then continued to explain that sharing his testimony has become one of the most meaningful ways he continues to reclaim his narrative.
“No one ever cared about the Holocaust,” Newfield said. “What brought the Holocaust to the forefront was the survivors who started to die. I owe it to my mother, my family, my children, my grandchildren and myself to share my stories every opportunity I get.”
After his talk, students were encouraged to ask their own questions. One by one, they asked whatever was on their mind. Some students were curious and others were emotional, but all were engaged. Newfield responded to every question with patience and intention, often pausing to make sure he gave a thoughtful answer.
For several students, it was the first time they had ever spoken directly with a Holocaust survivor. For others, it was an experience they had been looking forward to since the event was announced.
“The Witness Project’s main goal is to listen to the stories of Holocaust survivors in an effort to remember their legacies and to end the ongoing threat of anti-semitism,” Witness Project advisor Mr. Casto said. “Hearing stories fosters empathy and awareness, while also offering hope by seeing the ways survivors have maintained resiliency through the darkest of times.”
By the time the event ended, many students stayed in their seats, still processing what they had heard. Some talked quietly with their friends, discussing the lessons they learned. Whether students came for curiosity or a desire to understand history more deeply, everyone left with a shared sense of responsibility to carry the story forward.
