Late Holocaust survivor David Schaecter honored by City of Miami Beach for life of activism, education

The City of Miami Beach is honoring Holocaust survivor David Schaecter, who devoted his life to teaching future generations about the atrocities that took place during World War II.

April 30 will now be known as David Schaecter Day in honor of the man who helped found the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach.

The celebration on Wednesday took place at the Holocaust Memorial Education Center – a brand new, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to preserving Holocaust history and educating future generations.

"He empowered everyone he met," David's widow, Sydney Schaecter said. "He would tell his story, and he would say to them, 'You need to be my mouthpiece when I am no more.'"

David Schaecter died in 2025 at 96-years-old, and he was the only survivor from his family of 105 people to survive the Holocaust.

David Schaecter left behind legacy of activism, education

CBS News Miami has told Schaecter's story of activism and education for decades. 

In 2012, CBS News Miami's Ted Scouten traveled to Auschwitz with Schaecter and fellow survivors David Mermelstein and Joe Sachs. 

The men took part in the March of the Living program, which aims to educate teenagers about the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Their education efforts were documented for the CBS Miami special "March of the Living: Return to Auschwitz." The men toured the concentration camps with teenagers, detailing their personal experiences of loss and terror.

At the time, Schaecter said, "I want to feel that I left a legacy. I want to feel that I reached a lot of children."