Oral testimony is one way to document history directly from those who experienced it themselves. Using oral history interviews and their transcriptions, this presentation will discuss the experiences of Holocaust survivors who were liberated from various concentration camps as children. How did their experiences differ from adults? What kinds of unique challenges did they face? How were they impacted by their liberation? "In Their Words: Children's Experiences of Liberation" will dive into these questions and more.  

This is a virtual program. Registration is required. Registration closes Mon, Jan. 13 at 10am. Library staff will email the Zoom link for the event separately before the program.

Register here: https://guides.mysapl.org/holocaustlearnandremember

When Rose Sherman Williams was just twelve years old, the Nazis invaded her hometown in Poland. For the next five years, Rose was in various ghettos and concentration camps, including Auschwitz and one of the most despicable camps of all: Bergen-Belsen. But miraculously, despite beatings and starvation, she survived to be liberated.

Becky Hoag, the co-author of Rose Williams’ memoir "Letters to Rose", will share Rose’s story through excerpts from the book. Becky will not only discuss Rose’s liberation from Bergen-Belsen but also her other spiritual and physical liberations during her five years in ghettos and camps. Rose Williams’ story is one of tragedy and resilience, of desperation and hope, of captivity and liberation.

at Cody Library

Learn more: https://guides.mysapl.org/holocaustlearnandremember

Oral testimony is one way to document history directly from those who experienced it themselves. Using oral history interviews and their transcriptions, this presentation will discuss the experiences of Holocaust survivors who were liberated from various concentration camps as children. How did their experiences differ from adults? What kinds of unique challenges did they face? How were they impacted by their liberation? "In Their Words: Children's Experiences of Liberation" will dive into these questions and more.  

This is a virtual program. Registration is required. Registration closes Mon, Jan. 13 at 10am. Library staff will email the Zoom link for the event separately before the program.

Register here: https://guides.mysapl.org/holocaustlearnandremember

Ruth Reif was a Holocaust survivor who endured unimaginable hardships, from her childhood in Poland to surviving the ghettos, Auschwitz, and forced labor camps. Despite losing her entire family and facing profound trauma, she rebuilt her life, creating a home in America and sharing her story to educate others.

Through her granddaughter’s reflections, we learn about Ruth's courage, her struggles with the lasting effects of the Holocaust, and her enduring legacy of resilience. Her story is a poignant reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the importance of preserving history to prevent future acts of hatred.

This is a virtual program. Registration is required. Registration closes Sat, Jan. 11 at 5pm. Library staff will email the Zoom link for the event separately before the program.

Register here: https://guides.mysapl.org/holocaustlearnandremember

The survivors of the Flossenbürg concentration camp, and those condemned to its death marches, were liberated by San Antonio’s own U.S. Army 90th Infantry Division from Fort Sam Houston (known as the Tough ‘Ombres). Join us as we learn about this story of bravery and rescue.

Speakers:
Dr. Edward Westermann, Professor of History, Texas A&M-San Antonio
Jacqueline Davis, Director, Fort Sam Houston Museum

Sponsored by: San Antonio Public Library, Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, and San Antonio Library Foundation

Stefan and Marion Hess's happy childhood was shattered in 1943. Torn from their home in Amsterdam, the six-year-old twins and their parents were deported to a place their mother called "this dying hell"—the infamous concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen.

Faris Cassell, a journalist and writer, lives with her husband in Eugene, Oregon. She earned a B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke College and an M.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon. Her first book, The Unanswered Letter, was the winner of the National Jewish Book Award in 2021.

Sponsored by the Barshop JCC and Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio

SLAVA FINTEL

When the ghetto in Slava Fintel’s hometown of Szarkowszczyzna, Poland was liquidated, Slava and her sister were hidden in a barn by a Polish farm family. The son of this family, who took them in, was later acknowledged as a “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Center in Jerusalme, Israel.

Hear their story of survivor from Slava’s son, Steve Fintel.

Never to be Forgotten - the 86th Anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass

Sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, Jewish Federation of San Antonio, and Jewish Community Relations Council

RUTH FUKS REIF

Born in Pabiance, Poland to Auschwitz, plus a daring train escape. Hear Ruth’s story of survival shared by her granddaughter, Eleanor Gossen.

An intimate co-creation of three graphic novelists and four Holocaust survivors, But I Live consists of three illustrated stories based on the experiences of each survivor during and after the Holocaust.

David Schaffer and his family survived in Romania due to their refusal to obey Nazi collaborators. In the Netherlands, brothers Nico and Rolf Kamp were separated from their parents and hidden by the Dutch resistance in thirteen different places. Through the story of Emmie Arbel, a child survivor of the Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, we see the lifelong trauma inflicted by the Holocaust.

To complement these hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable visual stories, But I Live includes historical essays, an illustrated postscript from the artists, and personal words from each of the survivors.

As we urgently approach the post-witness era without living survivors of the Holocaust, these illustrated stories act as a physical embodiment of memory and help to create a new archive for future readers. By turning these testimonies into graphic novels, But I Live aims to teach new generations about racism, antisemitism, human rights, and social justice.

Moderated by Victoria Aarons, O.R. and Eva Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature, Trinity University

STEPHAN JALNOS

From the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, joining the resistance fighters, to Mathausen and more, hear Stephan’s story of survivor shared by his son, Robi Jalnos

Join San Antonio Public Library, Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, and the Anthony C. Acevedo Foundation for the premier dramatized stage reading of "Undesirable Secrets". In collaboration with the Acevedo Family, Rodolfo Alvarado has captured the story of World War II medic and prisoner of war Anthony Acevedo, who was also the first Mexican American to register as a Holocaust concentration camp survivor.

"Undesirable Secrets" is a captivating and emotionally charged theatrical experience that takes the audience on a transformative journey through the life of Anthony C. Acevedo, a resilient survivor haunted by his past. Set against the backdrop of World War II and its aftermath, the story unfolds through a series of poignant encounters, revealing the depth of Anthony's pain, resilience, and the hidden secrets that shaped his existence.

Recommended for ages 15 and up.