Students talk with Holocaust survivors in preparation for day of remembrance

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USC students spoke with Holocaust survivors at a luncheon Tuesday afternoon, in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day this coming Sunday. The survivors were both young children during World War II.

One survivor, George McKay, was born in Amsterdam in 1942 and fled with his family to Switzerland when he was eight months old.

"I was carried in a bag, and his black bag became infamous if you will, because the black bag was fashioned to hide me as a baby," said McKay. "And that bag made it to Switzerland, and now it is on display in the LA Museum of the Holocaust."

McKay is now a board member for the LA Museum of the Holocaust.

Henry Slucki, a professor of clinical psychology at USC, was separated from his parents for several years.

"I lived with my maternal great uncle and great aunt in New York City, and my parents eventually rejoined me in 1946, in April of '46," said Slucki.  "That means from August of '43 to April of '46, I was without my parents."

Slucki always remained hopeful that his parents would return.

"I acquired from them an attitude of optimism and that things were going to work out.  And they did, for us at least," said Slucki.

The luncheon was sponsored by USC Shoah Foundation and USC Hillel.