The life of Werner Coppel
“Because it was brought here to Cincinnati, I think it also gives way to this idea that, you know, the Holocaust is, is international history, right? It’s European history, global history, but it’s our local history too.” – Director of Collections & Exhibitions Cori Silbernagel on the suitcase that Holocaust survivor Werner Coppel carried from Europe to Cincinnati
Werner Coppel was just 19 when he survived a death march from Auschwitz, only to open the newspaper decades later and be faced with outright Holocaust denial in Cincinnati – the city where he had rebuilt his life and now considered home. He chose to fight back by using his voice and speaking his truth. He began telling his story and shared his personal experiences with audiences until his death in 2016. “My dad realized if he didn’t speak up, he’d be a bystander and he couldn’t do that. He had to stand up. He had to be an upstander,” said his son, Steve Coppel. This episode takes you into our archives to learn about some very important artifacts – not frequently seen publicly – that help tell Werner’s incredible story. You can learn more about Werner’s life both in the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and in the exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., opening October 2025. Link to tickets below.
The upcoming presentation of this international exhibition would not have been possible without the generous support of these community leaders and organizations.
- The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
- The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati
- H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
- Jacob G. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
- Helen G., Henry F., Louise Tuechter Dornette Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
- The Neil Bortz Family
- Anonymous
- Beth and Louis Guttman
- Fred and Patti Heldman
- Paul Heldman and Deborah Kirshner
- Roger and Julie Heldman
- The Kantor/Knue Families
- Rockwern Foundation
- Rosenthal Family Foundation
- Les and Renee Sandler
- Larry and Rhonda Sheakley
- Marcia & Richard Weiland (of blessed memory)
- Western & Southern Financial Group
To Bear Witness: Stories from Auschwitz to Cincinnati is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling.
Special thanks to Julie and John Cohen for their support of this series.
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. was created by Musealia in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Presented by NEON.
Musealia https://www.musealia.net/
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum https://www.auschwitz.org/en/
NEON https://www.neonglobal.com/en/
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. ticket info, additional resources for both adults and students, travel itineraries and more https://www.cincymuseum.org/auschwitz/
Visit the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/
