Holocaust scholar visits Sussex Academy students
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer, left, answers a question from Sussex Academy student Curlett Walsh, far right, at the April 22 assembly. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer addresses eighth-graders at Sussex Academy. 
Gathered at Sussex Academy April 22 are (l-r) Sussex Academy Dean of Middle School Rachael Johnston, eighth-grade reading teacher Alyssa Graham, Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer and board member Amy Goodhue. Gonzer visited the school to speak with students before their field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 
Sussex Academy students (l-r) Zighel Guevara-Yoc, Alison Fragoso-Perez, Joseph Duff and Danny Chavez-Ramirez speak with Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer after his presentation. May 5, 2026
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Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer, left, answers a question from Sussex Academy student Curlett Walsh, far right, at the April 22 assembly. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer addresses eighth-graders at Sussex Academy.
Gathered at Sussex Academy April 22 are (l-r) Sussex Academy Dean of Middle School Rachael Johnston, eighth-grade reading teacher Alyssa Graham, Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer and board member Amy Goodhue. Gonzer visited the school to speak with students before their field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Sussex Academy students (l-r) Zighel Guevara-Yoc, Alison Fragoso-Perez, Joseph Duff and Danny Chavez-Ramirez speak with Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer after his presentation.
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer visited Sussex Academy April 22 to speak with eighth-graders about his family and his work in advance of their upcoming field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in May.
Gonzer is co-chair and advisor of the Halina Wind Preston Holocaust Education Committee, an affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Delaware, and was instrumental in securing grant funding for buses that will enable all students to travel to Washington, D.C.
As a boy, Gonzer first learned about the fate of many of his own family members during the Holocaust, when 75 members of his extended family were killed.
“I had no idea that occurred,” he said. “[My grandmother] never talked about it; nobody in my family ever said a word.”
The revelation spurred him first to educate himself and then raise awareness about the consequences of hatred, discrimination and indifference.
“I couldn’t understand how someone could have such hatred,” he said.
Gonzer studied the Holocaust and began a project to record the stories of Delaware Holocaust survivors and eyewitnesses, and eventually produced an eight-hour documentary, “No Denying: Delawareans Bear Witness to the Holocaust, Liberators,” detailing their accounts, excerpts of which he showed students. Gonzer fielded questions from students before and after the documentary presentation.
Eighth-grade reading teacher Alyssa Graham said Gonzer’s visit directly supports the work her students are completing in English Language Arts.
“As part of their current unit, students are researching Holocaust topics and writing research papers using credible sources,” Graham said. “Gonzer’s presentation and documentary provided students with meaningful background knowledge and firsthand accounts that deepen their understanding of the topics they are exploring.
Gonzer’s visit also prepares students for the reading of the memoir “Night” by Elie Wiesel, which recounts the author’s experiences as a Jewish teenager surviving the Holocaust, including his time in Nazi concentration camps, Graham said.
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer, left, answers a question from Sussex Academy student Curlett Walsh, far right, at the April 22 assembly. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer addresses eighth-graders at Sussex Academy.
Gathered at Sussex Academy April 22 are (l-r) Sussex Academy Dean of Middle School Rachael Johnston, eighth-grade reading teacher Alyssa Graham, Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer and board member Amy Goodhue. Gonzer visited the school to speak with students before their field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Sussex Academy students (l-r) Zighel Guevara-Yoc, Alison Fragoso-Perez, Joseph Duff and Danny Chavez-Ramirez speak with Holocaust educator Steve Gonzer after his presentation. Event Details :
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