The inside of the Runge VFW hall was eerily silent at the powerful presence the petite 80-year-old woman held over the audience. She told her story in an abrasive voice that would falter at times as she revisited the haunting memories of her past.

Rose Williams is a survivor, a Holocaust survivor, and she told her story to over 270 students and county residents on April 28 as part of the Runge ISD "Days of Remembrance: Remembering Kristallnacht 1938" ceremony. Williams was invited to share her memories of her time spent in concentration camps during World War II.

Presented by the junior and sophomore advanced placement (AP) students in the American and world history classes led by Jessica McDaniel and Jeff Steele, the ceremony opened with a prayer by Candace Franke who asked God to "open our eyes and hearts to the world around us so that events like the Holocaust may never happen again."

After Franke led the audience in the pledge of allegiance, Superintendent Ernest Havner read and presented a proclamation to Runge Mayor Homer Lott declaring that April 27 through May 4 will be set aside to honor the Days of Remembrance observation established by Congress in 1980.

Loree Nunez followed the proclamation and shared the history behind Kristallnacht or the "Night of Broken Glass." Kristallnacht marked a turning point in the German policy regarding Jews and shifted from vocal contempt for the Jews to a violent aggressive one and was the beginning to what is now known as the Holocaust.

The rise of Adolf Hitler’s power and the events that led up to the Holocaust was shared by Amy Janssen, and Audrey Torres told of the many Jews who were able to escape Europe on boats prior to the war but had to return because countries refused to accept these Jewish immigrants. Forced to return to Europe, the majority of those Jews, known as "The Boat People" were ultimately killed by the Nazi regime.

The many rescue attempts of Jews and the final liberation was told by Lyndsey Rios prior to Williams taking the stage. Six million Jews were methodically murdered with 1.5 million of those slain being children.

As the frail looking but surprisingly agile Williams told her story, students intensely listened to the tragedies that happened to her during her teens. She spent four years between the age of 12 and 16 in concentration camps that include stays at Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz.

"Chills ran up my spin when she told about the German soldier who struck her on the top of the head with the butt of his rifle then shot her grandmother to death right in front of her," said Krystal Bryan, junior.

She told the story of how she was beaten within an inch of her life for trying to smuggle food to patients in the camp hospital and of the kindness shown to her and her sister by a German warehouse owner who would leave his daily lunch for them as they cleaned his office. Although he would never speak to them, Williams said the lunch was always there.

Williams shared about the low point in her life prior to finding her sister when she looked into the eyes of Doctor Josef Mengele, also known as the Angel of Death, and asked to be sent to the line on the left, which was the death line, in order to end her suffering. It was not meant to be as Mengele ordered her to the right. Only one other time Williams had to stand in a line so that a German could determine her fate and once again her life was spared as she was herded to the right with other fortunate survivors.

Williams brought the holocaust to Runge; something that the students may never have had the opportunity to experience first hand or even thought could have had an impact on their life.

"I read about the holocaust in my textbook, but Ms. Williams brought the ordeal to life," said Bryan. "The emotion and pain she felt was transferred to me and I caught myself crying at times and sharing her pain."

Williams’ story touched students and adults alike and proved to be an educational experience for all in attendance.

"She is an inspirational and dynamic speaker who captured all of our attention," said Debbie Witte, principal. "I hope our students realize the importance of her story and that it will have a positive affect on their lives."

At the end of the ceremony there was a question and answer session that gave students an opportunity to ask a variety of questions. They were able to see the tattooed number on her arm that the Germans gave her upon arrival to the concentration camps.

World History teacher Jessica McDaniel closed the program by challenging students to not ignore a wrong committed against another human being for what ever reason. This sentiment was demonstrated during the program when the AP students performed a touching interpretation of Pastor Martin Niemoeller’s poem "First They Came for the Jews," about the failure of Germans to speak out against the Nazis treatment of people deemed subhuman.

Today, Williams is the sole survivor of her family. She was separated from her parents when the family was transferred from a Polish Ghetto and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. She never saw them again. During the Holocaust she was able to find her sister in a camp and credits that relationship to her survival. After being liberated they found their brother. While the sisters were able to immigrate to the United States, their brother was unable to because he had Tuberculosis. He settled in Israel. Since then both have died. Williams lives in San Antonio and is a proud grandmother.