On Yom HaShoah, Hillel CSUSM presented to a waiting-room-only crowd Goldie Jacoby, one of the youngest Holocaust survivors, to tell her story of hiding from the Nazis in a barn for more than two years.

Jacoby was born in Poland in 1937. She was just five when she and her family went into hiding from the Nazis in a cramped barn.  In recent years, Mrs. Jacoby has spent much of her time speaking to students in the Coachella Valley about her experiences during the Holocaust. Her book, The Last Survivor, published in 1997, tells the gripping story of her survival.

The student-planned and led Yom HaShoah event is an annual highlight for CSUSM and the biggest event of the year. Students were deep into planning this event when it got moved online. So, Hillel turned the event into a virtual experience and extended its reach beyond CSUSM, North County, San Diego to everyone who wanted to log in and listen. We welcomed students from several campuses, alumni, faculty, many community members, and Hillel of San Diego Board members.

Goldie adapted seamlessly to the new platform and was able to share her story of survival with a much broader community than we would otherwise have had.