Echoing Voices: Unpacking History invites students to investigate the Holocaust through the lived experiences of individuals connected to Cincinnati. Using curated primary sources, students analyze evidence from before, during, and after the war to better understand how history unfolds on a human level. At the center of the experience is the inquiry question: “What do individual stories teach us about the Holocaust that history textbooks don’t?” Through collaborative investigation, students move beyond broad summaries to explore survival, loss, resilience, and rebuilding. This inquiry-based program empowers students to think critically about history while developing empathy and deeper historical understanding.
Watch Echoing Voices: Unpacking History on YouTube
Program Format and Pricing:
Echoing Voices: Unpacking History is a purchase-based archival box program. Each box is available for $50, and educators can select any number or combination of stories to best meet their classroom needs (shipping costs apply).
We are committed to ensuring this program remains accessible to all schools. If cost is a concern, we encourage educators to inquire about available subsidies or funding opportunities.
Please allow 3-4 weeks for production and shipping after your order is placed.
Survivor Stories:
Werner Coppel
Werner Coppel was born in Germany in 1925 and witnessed the rise of Nazi persecution from a young age, including the destruction of his synagogue during Kristallnacht. Werner survived imprisonment in Auschwitz and eventually immigrated to Cincinnati.
Edith Carter
Edith Carter was born in Czechoslovakia in 1914 and experienced increasing antisemitism that forced her family to relocate. She survived multiple camps, including Auschwitz, and later rebuilt her life after immigrating to Cincinnati.
Al Miller
Al Miller was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922 and experienced growing antisemitism as the Nazis came to power. After escaping Europe, he immigrated to the United States and later served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Upstander/Rescuer Story:
The Frieder Brothers
The Frieder brothers were Cincinnati businessmen who helped rescue over 1,000 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. Using their connections in the Philippines, they created opportunities for families to escape persecution and rebuild their lives.
Please contact Lauren Karas, [email protected], with any questions.
EDITH (KNOPFLMACHER) CARTER was born December 17, 1914 in Czechoslovakia. Edith was deported to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, Auschwitz, and Stutthof, then to Praust, where she was sent on a death march.
WERNER COPPEL was born February 22, 1925 in Moers, Germany. Werner was a member of the Hachshara, a Zionist youth movement in Berlin when the war began. Werner and other members of the group were deported to Auschwitz. Werner escaped from the death march and was liberated by Soviet Troops.
HENRY FENICHEL was born on April 13, 1938 in the Hague, Netherlands. Henry and his mother, Pessel, went into hiding, were discovered and then sent to Westerbork, and then Bergen-Belsen. The two were saved by being on an exchange transfer to British mandate Palestine on June 30,1944.
HENRY MEYER was born on June 29, 1923 in Dresden, Germany. Henry was a child prodigy on the violin, who was arrested and sent to Buchenwald on Kristallnacht. Later, Henry and his brother, Fritz, were deported to Auschwitz. Because of his musical talent, Henry was assigned to play in the Auschwitz band. He was later sent to Ohrdruf concentration camp and was liberated when he escaped a death march.
BELLA (BENUZIO) OUZIEL was born on July 14th, 1925 in Salonika, Greece. She was in the Baron Hirsch Ghetto in Salonika and deported to Auschwitz. Later she was sent to Bergen-Belsen where she was liberated by the British Army.
ZAHAVA RENDLER was born Golda Feuerberg in Stryi, Poland on March 30, 1941. Zahava and her family hid in an underground bunker until her parents decided it was too dangerous and sent her to live with a Polish woman. The woman, fearing she would be discovered, placed Zahava in a convent where she survived and was found by her father.
MATT AND ANNELIESE YOSAFAT met and were married in the U.S. after the war, bonding over their experiences during WWII. Anneliese (Leopold) was born on February 14,1937. After being notified of deportation on September 18, 1942, her family went into hiding. After moving to various places they fled to Bludenz, Austria and began passing themselves off as Christians, hiding in plain sight.
Matt was born on August 8,1936 in Katerini, Greece. After the Nazis occupied Greece the family went into hiding after hearing the Jews were going to be deported. The family hid in various places including a cave and a tobacco shelter.
ANNE-WILLEM MEIJER was born on July 4, 1931 in Haarlem, Netherlands. At age 11 he was asked by Corrie ten Boom, a neighbor and member of the Dutch underground, to be a “runner”. delivering food coupons to families hiding the Jews. He and the resisters were arrested and Anne-Willem was sent to the transit camp of Vught. He escaped from the camp and returned home only to find that his family was gone. He lived on the streets until the Dutch were liberated in 1945.
ELMER REIS AND MILTON SCHLOSS were American soldiers from Cincinnati who participated in the liberation of Ohrdruf concentration camp with the 3rd Armored Division. Reiss and Schloss provide their perspectives of liberation and what they witnessed at Ohdruf, and how it affected their lives.
Explore Local Holocaust Survivor Biography Study
This lesson uses Holocaust survivor biographies, images, and reflection questions to deepen students’ understanding of.
Due to inclement weather, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center has canceled today’s Gallery Talk with Monique Rothschild. For immediate needs, please email [email protected].
