More than 80 years after he narrowly escaped death as a prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, 94-year-old David Shechter of Miami was granted exclusive access to the camp’s “Block 8,” a closed-to-the-public, private section of the museum.
Shechter is the first Holocaust survivor, and first member of the public, to ever enter this space. It was in Block 8 that Shechter was imprisoned for three years as a child – starved, tortured, and witness to thousands of senseless and brutal murders including those of his own family members.
Shechter’s emotional experience was part of an exclusive “Holocaust to Independence” mission, hosted by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), from April 19-27, on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.
“Having to walk through Cell 8 was choking. While I was prepared for the trauma, I almost fainted. I don’t know how in G-d’s name I came out of the Holocaust alive,” he said of the excruciating visit, one that he claims was necessary. “What gave me strength was having IDF commanders by my side, as well as FIDF supporters who saw first-hand some of the horrors of what we experienced during the most horrendous time in history.”
One of the founders of the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach and The March of the Living, Shechter has made it his life’s mission to keep the memories of the six million Jews murdered alive. As the number of survivors continues to dwindle, Shechter says, he considers his extraordinary vigor a gift that allows him to continue telling his story to a new generation of young people. “I look in their eyes and tell them three things: No. 1, they need to hear me; No. 2, they need to understand; and No. 3, the most important, I need them to be my mouthpiece when I am no longer here.”
A film was produced in 2018 about his life, “A Call to Remember: The David Shechter Story,” and recently, hours of his story were recorded for an interactive exhibit slated to open in a museum in Boston in 2025.
Alongside a delegation of IDF soldiers, Shechter, with fellow Holocaust survivor, Ben Midler, joined a delegation of 120 – including Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers, and FIDF supporters from across the country – on an incredible nine-day journey of remembrance and renewal in Poland and Israel. “From Holocaust to Independence” brings Jewish history to life, from its darkest moments to the most triumphant. The mission is part of FIDF’s Witnesses in Uniform Program, which offers IDF soldiers a first-hand look at the unfathomable horrors of the Holocaust, leading to a new, profound understanding of their Jewish identity and heritage.
Mission participants learned about 1,100 years of Jewish history, 700 years of Jewry and six years of the darkest time of human history. The culmination of the experience in Israel gave participants an even greater appreciation of what Israel is and what it means to every Jew on earth. It underscored the enormous responsibility of the young men and women who serve to protect it, and participants walked away with an even greater sense of appreciation for the Jewish Homeland.
“This historic mission on Israel’s 75th anniversary was a meaningful and cathartic experience. We celebrated the story of Jewish courage – from near annihilation to the triumph of establishing the State of Israel,” said Steve Weil, CEO of FIDF. “Today we have the soldiers of the IDF to protect the Jewish people. We will never forget our past and will do everything we can to keep the memories of those who perished alive to honor them, and to share with future generations the importance of Israel and her protectors.”
