History that inspires action
Experience stories of courage, perseverance, loss, redemption, and new life, as told by local Holocaust survivors. Witness towering acts of heroism that will inspire you to become the upstander our world needs today.
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Debbie Leffler’s parents and grandmother were Holocaust survivors who tried to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.
Debbie’s mother, Helga, was born in Essen, Germany. Helga’s family moved to Amsterdam to aboud the Nazis, but their new lives there were interrupted in 1940 by the Nazi occupation.
Debbie’s father, Erich, was born in Vienna, Austria. His family moved to Belgium where their lives were also interrupted when Belgium was occupied by the Nazis in 1940. Miraculously, Helga, Helga’s mother and Erich survived the camps, but they lost most of their family members in the Holocaust.
Helga and Erich met in New York City after the war. They married and had three children. They did not speak about their experinces to their children; instead, their strategy was to go on with their lives and raise a family. Eric, changed from Erich, made fine jewelry at this workbench for many years, while Helga went on to become a Reform Rabbi. She was ordained through Hebrew Union College in New York City in 2000, at age 67.
The Holocaust Speaker Series is held each Wednesday at 11 a.m. on Zoom. The series is sponsored by Margaret & Michael Valentine in partnership with the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Dan Otteinheimer tells the story of his father, Fritz Ottenheimer. Fritz was born in 1925 in Konstanz, Germany — a large town with a population of around 40,000. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Fritz and his family were forced to endure increasing anti-Jewish propaganda, discrimination and persecution. In November of 1938, Fritz witnessed his father’s arrest, on what is now known as Kristallnacht, or the “night of broken glass” when around 30,000 innocent Jewish men were taken to concentration camps.
After his father’s release from the Dachau concentration camp, Fritz, now 14 years old, and his family immigrated to the U.S.
After graduating from high school in New York in 1944, Fritz volunteered to become part of the U.S. Army. He was delpoyed to Germany in 1945, and served in units that aided in the “de-Nazification” process of his home country. When the war ended, Fritz returned to the U.S., got a degree in Industrial Engineering, and eventually settled in Pittsburgh, PA.
Dan, Fritz’s son, was born in Pittsburgh in 1957. As a child, thanks to the influence of his father, Dan loved the outdoors — most notably hiking, camping, biking and caving (one of his father’s hobbies as well).
Dan moved to Boston in the 1970’s to attend college. He remained there and worked at several software companies until he retired in 2016. In 2019, two years after his father passed away, Dan began to speak in the Boston area about his father’s experiences in Germany. In 2021, Dan joined the Generations Speakers Bureau at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, speaking virtually to schools and organizations in the Pittsburgh area.
In his talks, Dan tells his father’s stories about growing up as a Jewish child in Nazi Germany, and about his father’s return to Germany as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
The Holocaust Speaker Series is held each Wednesday at 11 a.m. on Zoom. The series is sponsored by Margaret & Michael Valentine in partnership with the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Join Holocaust survivor, Alica Fruhwaldova, who will be visiting from Slovakia, as she shares her story for the first time on the Holocaust Speaker Series.
Hear her tell the extraordinary true story of a family’s heroic triumph during the Holocaust. Affected by the racial persecutions of World War II, their story is one of heavy loss, profound fear and inconceivable suffering. At the same time, it is about the beauty of human strength and the power of perseverance, courage and bravery.
This is not fiction. This is real life yielding survivors and heroes from ordinary citizens at the edges of tragic circumstances. In June 1942, Alica, at the age of 16, was with her mother and grandmother when they were taken by transport to the concentration camp Sobibor, where she did not stand the smallest chance against the Nazi killing machine.
Her older sister Edita was saved from immediate deportation and together with her husband, Oskar, gained a chance to stay for a short period. Eventually they would have to run, far and deep into wintery mountains. Hidden away underneath the cold, black earth, they laid still for weeks and months. And, thanks to the angels among us, the rescuers, the secret keepers, they survived.
This is the kind of story only life can write. People defying the odds, rising from the ashes and re-entering humanity. Their lives were never meant to be ordinary. Hopefully, this story touches you the way it touched the descendants of the survivors.
The Holocaust Speaker Series is held each Wednesday at 11 a.m. on Zoom. The series is sponsored by Margaret & Michael Valentine in partnership with the Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
One Act, Infinite Impact: Annual Meeting 2023
Join the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center for our 2023 Annual Meeting. As we grow our work in remarkable ways, be a part of our community and learn about the ripple effects of our mission. From Upstander Award winners joining forces to tackle systemic issues in Cincinnati to local educators using our resources to reach thousands of students, we have witnessed how one act can have infinite impact.
This year’s speaker is Elisha Wiesel, the son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. Core to our mission, Elie Wiesel famously said in a speech about the perils of indifference: “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center will also present the Lilly & Mark Kurtz Educator Award, dedicated to teachers who are committed to Holocaust education and ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust inspire action today.
Join us, October 24, 7 p.m., at historic Union Terminal.
About Our Speaker: Elisha Wiesel
Elisha is a recovering Wall Street executive. He is now a Founding Partner, and Chief Risk Officer, of ClearAlpha Technologies.
Elisha spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs, 15 of them as a partner, innovating in software, markets and risk management. He served as the Chief Risk Officer of the Securities Division for seven years, and as the Chief Information Officer of the Firm for three years.
As a board member of Good Shepherd Services, Elisha raised millions of dollars for New York’s neediest by reinventing “Midnight Madness” as an all-night charity event, serving up elaborate puzzles on city streets to hundreds of finance professionals.
Elisha writes opinion pieces, and engages in public speaking and advocacy, as ways of remembering his father with others who miss him.
Elisha is currently chairing Entrio (an Israeli FinTech start-up), rebooting the Elie Wiesel Foundation, volunteering as a ski patroller (even though he rides a snowboard), learning a little Talmud every day, and generally trying to be a good father, husband and son
Join the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center for our annual Kristallnacht Commemoration, featuring a candle lighting and screening of the Not in Our Town documentary “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life” at historic Union Terminal.
Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life documents Pittsburgh’s powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Through the voices of survivors, family members, diverse Pittsburgh residents and leaders, the film shows unity in a moment of crisis, the resilience of a vibrant city, and a community working together to understand what it means to be “stronger than hate.”
Following the documentary, join us for a conversation between former Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Executive Director Lauren Bairnsfather, who appears in the film, and documentary executive producer Patrice O’Neill, founder and co-director of Not in Our Town. Bairnsfather will discuss the historical context of Kristallnacht and the perpetuation of anti-Jewish violence today.
The Upstander Awards recognize individuals in the region who use their character strengths to make a difference in the community. Enjoy a gala-style event in historic Union Terminal’s breath-taking rotunda featuring a three-course meal, live music, art experiences, and a moving awards ceremony celebrating Cincinnati’s best and brightest upstanders.
Cincinnati’s community of upstanders take over historic Union Terminal for our Upstander 5K, Family Day & Upstander Volunteer Expo. Kick off your morning with the Upstander 5K at 8:30 a.m., which takes runners and walkers on a scenic route throughout the West End. Participants will also enjoy live music, family activities, breakfast, FC Cincinnati activations, and pick-up pickleball tournament outside of Union Terminal.
After you finish up your morning outside, explore upstander activities and experiences throughout the Children’s Museum, Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History and Science, and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center. Browse our Upstander Volunteer Expo, where dozens of non-profit and mission-driven organizations will be available in the Rotunda to share volunteer opportunities and information with museum goers throughout the day.
Check back soon for registration for the 2024 Upstander 5K.
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