Holocaust survivor inspires CVHS students

Many say that the only way to avoid reliving history is by teaching it, and that is why CVHS students were honored to hear from Arthur Weil, a survivor of the Holocaust.

After arriving in Chicago as one of the 1,400 children who escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 via the “Kindertransport,” Weil spent his formative years working to complete his bachelors and masters degrees. He later finished his coursework in history at UC Berkeley.

Weil is a smart man, not only because of his very respectable academic background, but because he lived the traumatic initial events of the Holocaust.

“I was very lucky to have escaped,” said Weil, during his visit at CVHS. Weil was able to reshape his life as an American, and had to work past the ongoing reminder that he had no clue as to where some of his nuclear family members were, as they had to stay in Europe.

Weil now writes and shares his ideology of life with others.

“As long as you are alive, it’s never too late to turn your life around,” he said.

Weil served as an inspirational speaker during his talk. He set the perfect example of a person working beyond the scarring obstacles he faced.

Weil had a touching effect on the students he talked to.

Weil is now a poet and his most recently published book, Eat My Words One Bite at a Time, is available for purchase online. His poetry is directed mostly at teens, as he addresses very teen-specific topics in each of his poems.

CVHS was very lucky to have a speaker like Weil during the Days of Diversity week. Once more, the students had a chance to enhance their cultural awareness.