Holocaust Survivor, 86, Brings History to Georgia School

When 86-year-old George Rishfeld walked into Campbell High School, textbook lessons suddenly became real, breathing history.

The Holocaust survivor recently visited the Marietta, Georgia campus to share a story few students will ever forget. At just three years old, Rishfeld was rescued and hidden by a Catholic family who risked their lives to protect him for nearly four years.

"The reason I survived was because of a Catholic family that saved me," Rishfeld told the gathered students and parents. "I was in hiding for over three years with them, almost four, and my parents survived."

The visit came about through the determination of Maxwell Zhiss, president of Campbell High School's Jewish Cultural Club. Zhiss understood something urgent: the window to hear these stories firsthand is closing.

"Holocaust survivors won't be here forever, and that's a sad thing to think about," Zhiss said. "But it's important that while we still have the opportunity to have people who went through such a dark time, history can live on."

Why This Inspires

What makes this story special isn't just Rishfeld's courage in sharing his painful past. It's seeing high school students take the initiative to create these powerful learning moments themselves.

Student-led clubs like the Jewish Cultural Club are doing more than organizing events. They're building bridges between generations, ensuring that critical lessons about empathy, resilience, and human kindness reach their peers in ways that matter.

Rishfeld's message centered on something practical: education as the antidote to hate. "We're never going to stop antisemitism because it goes back to the Romans," he acknowledged. "But we have to get it under better control, and the only way to do that is through education."

For the Campbell High School students who attended, history stopped being dates and facts in a textbook. It became a person, sitting before them, proving that even in humanity's darkest moments, ordinary people can make extraordinary choices to do good.

The program shows what's possible when students lead with purpose and schools create space for meaningful dialogue. As survivor testimonies become increasingly rare, these intergenerational connections grow more precious.

Young people stepping up to preserve history reminds us that the next generation is ready to carry these vital stories forward.