We were honored to welcome back author and holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan to Stimson Middle School recently. Since 2003, Mrs. Lazan has joined us in presenting to our eighth-grade students her moving first-hand account of her family’s experience from imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps to liberation.  

Marion’s story of courage, hope, and the will to survive illustrates the importance of positive thinking, creativity, inner strength, and tolerance. Mrs. Lazan is author of Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story, a memoir. Following Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family – father, mother, Marion, and her brother Albert – were trapped in Nazi Germany. They eventually managed to arrive in Holland, which soon thereafter was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a half years, the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps, including Westerbork in Holland and the notorious Bergen-Belsen in Germany. Although they all survived the camps, father Walter Blumenthal, succumbed to typhus shortly after liberation.

In recent years, Mrs. Lazan has presented to our students virtually, so we were fortunate to welcome her and her husband, Nathaniel, back to Stimson in person to share her captivating story. Mrs. Lazan spoke of sensitivity and patience as she engaged her eighth-grade audience. She stressed the importance of positive thinking to overcome adversity, and asked our students to be tolerant of others and not stereotype individuals. With the prevalence of social media in our students’ lives today, Mrs. Lazan encouraged them to use these platforms informatively and in ways that do no harm to others. 

This wonderful opportunity for our Stimson students to hear this first hand account from a living Holocaust survivor was made possible by the Silas/Stimson PTA Arts in Education Program.

To learn more about Marion Lazan’s story, you can visit her website at http://www.fourperfectpebbles.com/

Mrs. Lazan held up the patch that she and millions of other jews were forced to wear to identify them in the concentration camps and in transit. 

Marion’s husband Nathaniel came to support his wife as she shared her story with Stimson’s 8th-graders for the 21st year. This year, Marion and Nathaniel will celebrate 71 years of marriage. 

After her presentation, Marion came down to the audience to speak with students and staff one-on-one with much joy.

Marion held an image of her mother who lived to be 105 years old. She credits her mother’s strength and fortitude for getting her family through their horrific experiences in the concentration camp.