The Holocaust Speaker Series, hosted every Wednesday at 11 a.m., features Holocaust survivors and descendants of survivors sharing stories of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. 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. This week’s speaker is Connie Bergstein Dow.
Connie Bergstein Dow is the daughter of Frank David Bergstein, who grew up in South Avondale, Cincinnati. Frank enlisted to fight in World War II in July, 1941, and immediately following basic infantry training, was selected for Officers Candidate School. He was then assigned to the 115th Regimental Combat Team of the 29th Infantry Division in June, 1942. After training for two years in England, Mr. Bergstein led a platoon of men onto the shores of Omaha Beach on D-Day, It was his first combat command, and immediately following the invasion, his platoon marched through France and Germany for 44 straight days of combat. Throughout his life, he struggled to come to terms with the horrors of war, while raising a family and helping to run the family business. Upon his children’s gentle urging, he finally began to write down some of his war experiences late in his life. Connie, along with Frank’s brother-in-law John McHaffie compiled them into a book, Some Reminiscences of World War II. Connie had a career as a professional dancer and dance educator, and is the author of five books about movement and young children.