the almanac A P R I L 28, 2024
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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Bearing witness
MEADOWCROFT OPENS FOR 2024 SEASON ON MAY 4 PAGE A6
KAREN MANSFIELD/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Holocaust survivor Albert Farhy spoke to students at Canon-McMillan High School about his experience.
Holocaust survivor speaks to C-M students
By Karen Mansfield Staff writer
kmansfield@observer-reporter.com
Almost 80 years after millions of Jews were killed in the Holocaust, only an estimated 240,000 survivors are still living to share their stories, according to a recent study. The demographic study, published by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, shows that most of the survivors alive today were children during the Holocaust, as 75% were between the ages of 3 and 12. The number of survivors is dwindling – the median age of survivors is 86 years old and 20% of survivors are older than 90. That’s why it’s important to hear their stories, says Canon-McMillan High School teacher Meg Pankiewicz, who teaches a Holo-
Albert Farhy, a Holocaust survivor, meets with Carol Black, who survived the Tree of Life mass shooting in October 2018. Black attended Farhy’s April 15 lecture at Canon-McMillan High School.
caust and genocides studies elective class, referencing a quote by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, author, professor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who said, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness.” For the past 20 years, Pankiewicz has welcomed a Holocaust survivor into her classroom to “bear witness” and provide first-hand testimony of their experiences during the genocide. On April 15, that eyewitness was Albert Farhy, a 94-year-old resident of Pittsburgh. Farhy, who was born in Bulgaria’s capital of Sofia and grew up amid the rise of the Nazi regime, recounted painful, eightdecades-old memories as nearly 100 students listened attentively in the Canon-Mac auditorium. SEE SURVIVOR PAGE A2
“TODAY MARKS THE DAY THAT YOUR MORAL OBLIGATION BEGINS: TO LIVE WITH PURPOSE, EMPATHY, STRENGTH OF CONVICTION AND COURAGEOUS COMPASSION TO ALL THAT ARE VULNERABLE TO HATRED. ” — MEG PANKIEWICZ, TEACHER AT CANON-MCMILLAN HIGH SCHOOL
FLAG FOOTBALL IS FLOURISHING AT BETHEL PARK PAGE B1
‘A WOMAN’S PLACE’ EXAMINES HISTORY OF WOMEN IN PITTSBURGH PAGE B3 What’s happening, B3 Classifieds, B4-6
Distinguished and accomplished
Arjun Kairi Bethel Park inducted five new members into its alumni Hall of Fame. Among the new members were: N. David Campbell; William J. Ceyrolles; Dr. Karl B. Kern; Dr. Antonio Ripepi; and Andrew P. Katlubeck III. Aside from Kern, relatives accepted on behalf of the inductees.
Bethel Park inducts five into alumni Hall of Fame Bethel Park High School recently welcomed five new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame. The group includes two physicians, a transplant unit nurse, a business leader and philanthropist, and an AIDS survivor and advocate for people with HIV. N. David Campbell graduated from Bethel Park in 1974. He earned degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in 1979 and 1995.
Campbell served as president and CEO of the West Penn Non-Destructive Testing Company. He is a fellow of The American Society of Non-Destructive Testing. He served on the boards of numerous organizations and foundations, including the Make-A-Wish of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He is president of N. David and Janet Campbell Family Foundation, which has given numerous financial grants to
numerous community, arts, education, and medical organizations. The organization’s mission is to “create a lasting and positive impact on our community.” William J. Ceyrolles graduated from Bethel Park in 1969 and received a degree in social work from Duquesne University. SEE HALL PAGE A2
Kairi wins history bee Arjun Kairi of Upper St. Clair placed first in the National History Bee at the Dayton Regional Finals held in Ohio and advanced to the national and international levels of the competition. The Fort Couch Middle School seventh-grade student will compete in the national championships, sponsored by the International Academic Competitions, May 23-27 in Orlando, Fla.
The bees are buzzer-based quiz competitions for elementary, middle and high schoolaged students throughout the United States. Each of the bees is composed of three competition stages, including the online regional qualifying exam, the regional finals, and the national championships. This marks the third year in a row that Kairi will compete at nationals. He made it to the semifinals last year and the quarterfinals in 2022.