88-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Graduates — 71 Years After Nazis Denied Her
(JTA) — A Holocaust survivor in Plymouth, Minnesota received her high school diploma 71 years after she was denied the opportunity by the Nazis.
Esther Begam, 88, donned a blue cap and gown earlier this month and received her diploma surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as the Wayzata High School class of 2017, the local NBC affiliate KARE reported.
Begam’s entire family was killed during the Holocaust. From the age of 11, she lived in a ghetto in Poland and then worked in a forced labor camp. At the age of 17 she married a fellow survivor and moved to Minnesota, according to KARE.
Seven years ago, Begam spoke at the high school about her war-time experiences and when asked what was her biggest regret she answered that it was never receiving a high school diploma.
Teacher Candice Ledman approached the school administration about awarding Begam an honorary degree. She was denied, but this year when a new principal, Scott Gengler, took over, he immediately agreed, according to KARE.
Begam was presented with a diploma and a graduation cake; she threw her mortarboard in the air after being awarded her diploma.
Her grandson Lenny Segal, in a speech at the graduation, called on the students to share Begam’s story, “so we can make sure this doesn’t happen again,” according to KARE.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
