Holocaust Survivor Changes Caruso Students’ Outlook

All eighth graders in Illinois are required to learn about the Holocaust and students at Caruso Middle School got a firsthand look last month at the Nazi murder of six million Jews before and during World War II.

Rudolph Tessler of Chicago, who as a teenager survived the Auschwitz and Dachau death camps as well as forced labor camps, told the students not only what it was like to go through the experience but how it felt to survive.

Telling the youngsters how he was uprooted from his home in Romania and forced to work for the Nazis essentially as a slave before arriving at Auschwitz as the war started drawing to a close, he painted a vivid picture of the death march from there to Dachau.

“They (the Germans) shot at us (when we were) in a river, it was red with blood,” Tessler said describing the ordeal. “Many, many people died. There was no food. When we got to Dachau there were more dead bodies than live ones.”

Tessler’s experiences made an impact on the Caruso students. They were a little more appreciative of what the freedom, resources and opportunities they have in Deerfield.

“It made me not take (what we have) for granted so much,” Caruso student Hannah Brown said. “You have to treasure every moment you have. I learned so much from his story.”

When the American army liberated Tessler at Dachau in 1945 telling him “Do what you want to do, do it,” life did not immediately get much better. Basic needs like food, clothing and shelter were barely in his mindset.

“People were wandering all over. There was no government. It was total chaos. It was several months before there was order,” Tessler said. “I just wanted to sleep in a bed. I wanted to have food and clothing.”

Some students were motivated by the talk to take action if a group of people in the United States were to be denied their rights because of religion, race, gender or another reason.

“I would not want to live in a country that would make us violent,” student Matthew Swill said. “I would tell people, peacefully, to make a difference. Everyone should have an equal chance.”

Caruso Parent and West Deerfield Township Trustee Marc Brown heard Tessler speak last summer at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie and knew from the crowd reaction there he wanted to bring the man to Deerfield. He helped arrange the event.

“He’s one of the last (Holocaust survivors) out there. The kids have got to hear this,” Brown said referring to his reaction at the event in Skokie. “He’s one of the best teachers you’ve ever seen.”

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