Holocaust Survivor Receives High School Diploma at 98

 98-year-old Holocaust survivor, Oskar Knoblauch, received a high school diploma from Chandler High School , Arizona. A milestone he was unable to achieve due to World War II.

Having endured the horrors of the Holocaust, Knoblauch missed out on a significant portion of his education, leaving him without a high school diploma. Follwoing this, Chandler High School in Arizona presented him with an honorary diploma.

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Reflecting on the momentous occasion, Knoblauch expressed profound gratitude, remarking, “It was so heartwarming, so different, so refreshing. I was in tears. I was being accepted.”

For Knoblauch, the experience was not just about receiving a diploma; it was a validation of his resilience and a testament to his unwavering spirit. “I did graduate from high school,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. “It was unbelievable... It will stay with me forever.”

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Anthony Fusco, the society’s associate director of education, lauds Knoblauch as a mentor and an inspiration. “He was a survivor with a very unique perspective of the Holocaust,” Fusco remarked. “He lived and breathed with the perpetrator... Luckily, he escaped eight months before liberation, but his dad was taken.”

Despite enduring immense suffering during his ordeal, Knoblauch remains a beacon of resilience and compassion. “I maintained my self-composure as a human being throughout all this – what the Germans were putting on my shoulders,” he recounted.

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For over 17 years, Knoblauch has dedicated himself to teaching and spreading awareness about the Holocaust, emphasizing the importance of remembrance and speaking out against injustice. He encourages others to make a difference in the lives of those around them, emphasizing the value of simple acts of kindness and compassion.

“Go to a school, go to a retirement home, read a book, a story to someone. There’s always someone who needs something. You don’t have to spend money on it, just your time,” Knoblauch urged.