Holocaust Museum L.A.

Born in Rome, Italy, in 1928, Ann Signett and her family fled to the mountain town of Alvito after Italy allied with Nazi Germany and anti-Jewish laws promulgated throughout the country. They spent several difficult months living there and concealing their Jewish identity. They were finally liberated by British troops and after the war returned to Rome. Ann married an American provost sergeant and settled in the United States in 1947. Hear Ann's story first-hand tomorrow, April 15 at 11:00 am PDT! Register: https://bit.ly/3wT2pBg Photo by John Pregulman.

Please join us in wishing a happy birthday to Jack Lewin! Jack was born in Lodz, Poland on April 13, 1927. His secular parents enrolled him in a Yiddish school, which gave him a lifelong love for the language and its culture. Jack survived the Lodz Ghetto and Auschwitz. He was the sole survivor of his whole family. After the war, he married Regina Szwarcfeld, another survivor from Poland. In 1950, they immigrated to Australia where they lived before settling in Los Angeles in 1965. For many years, he was an actor for the Yiddish theatre and a member of the Yiddish Culture Club in Los Angeles. Over the years, Jack has shared his story at the Museum. He has also participated in our Yiddish poetry readings around Yom HaShoah, during which he shares his original Yiddish poetry. In this clip, Jack talks about the library in the Lodz Ghetto.

Happy 97th birthday to Renée Firestone, a valued member of our Museum community! Renée was born on April 13, 1924 in Užhorod, Czechoslovakia to Mauritius and Julia Weinfeld. One of three children, she grew up in a Jewish but non-religious home. Under Hungarian occupation, her family experienced antisemitic discrimination and violence. Her father lost his business, her brother was imprisoned in a forced labor camp, and Renée was forced to leave school. In 1944, after a period ...in the Užhorod ghetto, Renée and her family were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Renée was imprisoned for 13 months before she was sent on a forced death march to Liebau Concentration Camp in Germany where she was liberated by the Soviet Army in May 1945. She was reunited with her brother in Prague and located her father in Theresienstadt who died of tuberculosis soon after. Renée later learned that her sister Klara was murdered in the medical experiments at Auschwitz. Renée immigrated to the United States in 1948 with her husband, Holocaust survivor Bernard Firestone, and their infant daughter Klara. They eventually settled in Los Angeles. Renée worked as a fashion designer and initially did not speak about her experiences during the Holocaust. She decided to start sharing her testimony after a Jewish cemetery and synagogue in the community were vandalized with swastikas, and she has now been speaking for decades. Renée has been featured in a number of documentaries about the Holocaust and speaks worldwide about her experiences and about genocide. The second photo is from our archives and was taken upon Renée's arrival to the United States.

Over the past five months, students from Milken Community School and Lennox Middle School worked together to create a community zine. Themed From Silence to Action, the zine illustrates lessons of Holocaust history as well as art and citizen journalism to explore social relevancy and promote education, awareness, and action. Over the course of the project, students connected with each other and with Holocaust survivors for meaningful dialogue. Tomorrow, April 14 at 3:00 pm PDT, during the showcase, students will share and discuss their art pieces and experiences. Register: https://bit.ly/2PSiBSQ

On April 18 at 11:00 am PDT, join us for Sunday Storytime! Published by Norton Young Readers, "Nicky & Vera" is a new book, by award-winning author-artist Peter Sís, that introduces the Holocaust to youngsters ages 6-9 using inviting language and whimsical images to tell the story of Sir Nicholas Winton and one of the 669 children he saved, Vera Gissing. "Nicky & Vera" is a tale of decency, action, and courage told in luminous, poetic images by an internationally renowned ar...tist. This family program will include a reading and a Q&A engagement for all ages. The panel will feature Barbara Winton, the daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton; Peter Sís, author and illustrator; and Michele Gold, Museum Board Chair and the daughter of Rita Berwald who journeyed to safety on a Kindertransport out of Leipzig, Germany. Register: https://bit.ly/3teRXlt

Join Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, Holocaust Museum LA, and other dedicated community partners for "Determined: The Story of Holocaust Survivor Avraham Perlmutter," which will stream exclusively now through April 12 at 11:59 pm PDT. A beloved survivor in our community, Dr. Avraham Perlmutter was born in Vienna, Austria in 1927. After Kristallnacht in November 1938, his parents sent him and his sister on a Kindertransport to the Netherlands. When World War II broke out, h...e was captured and spent years escaping and hiding. "Determined" follows Avraham as he outwits the Nazis and overcomes each obstacle standing in his way Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/3d8CQ7t

While we will never forget the past, our museum is embarking with renewed spirit... An unparalleled journey of education to brighten the world. It begins today. New name. New logo. New hope.

In commemoration of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, join us on November 10 at 11 am PST for a presentation by Aimee Bikel, author of Theodore Bikel’s The City of Light, and widow of the beloved late actor, singer, and activist. Based on a short story written by Theodore Bikel shortly before he died in 2015, Aimee Bikel’s book for young readers poignantly recounts moments from Theo’s childhood in Vienna, at first happy memories of family, sweet cakes and holidays, and... then darker times, when he experienced and witnessed brutal and violent antisemitism as Nazi influence grew. Set in Vienna in 1937-1938 during Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria as well as Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass, a young Jewish boy watches destruction and violence while hiding behind the curtains with his parents. To learn more and register, visit http://bit.ly/bikel-webinar.

WE'RE LIVE NOW with Erika Schwartz! Erika was born in Nyíregyháza, Hungary in April 1944, a month after the German invasion. Sensing their impending fate, Erika’s father convinced authorities to let his wife and daughter move to Budapest and secured them false Christian identity papers. When the war ended in 1945, Erika’s mother discovered that they were the only two survivors from their family. A few years after the war, Erika’s mother left Hungary for the United States but was not allowed to bring her young daughter with her. She left her in Hungary with a married couple she trusted. The childless couple soon decided to kidnap Erika and keep her as their own. Erika's mother had to hire a detective in Hungary to find her daughter and bring her to the United States. Just after Erika’s fourth birthday, she reunited with her mother.

Erika Schwartz was born in Nyíregyháza, Hungary in April 1944, a month after the German invasion. Sensing their impending fate, Erika’s father convinced authorities to let his wife and daughter move to Budapest and secured them false Christian identity papers. When the war ended in 1945, Erika’s mother discovered that they were the only two survivors from their family. A few years after the war, Erika’s mother left Hungary for the United States but was not allowed to bring he...r young daughter with her. She left her in Hungary with a married couple she trusted. The childless couple soon decided to kidnap Erika and keep her as their own. Erika's mother had to hire a detective in Hungary to find her daughter and bring her to the United States. Just after Erika’s fourth birthday, she reunited with her mother. To hear more of Erika’s story, tune in on November 5th at 11 am PST for her Holocaust Survivor Talk. Click here to register: http://bit.ly/erika-schwartz-talk Photo by John Pregulman

On the morning of the 2020 presidential election, a century-old Jewish cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan was defaced with the words TRUMP, and MAGA, vandalized on the headstones. In the community where just hours later, the President arrived for a rally, this act of antisemitism served as a reminder of the continued rise in attacks against the Jewish people across the United States. Just over two years ago, the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania experi...enced the deadliest attack against the Jewish community in the United States, a massacre claiming eleven lives. These are merely two examples of violent acts of hatred that have increased the last few years. Two holy sites for the Jewish communities of Grand Rapids and Pittsburgh, respectively, are marred by acts of hate and bigotry. As the polls close for this election, we remind our community and the world that there is no place for antisemitism in our society. We have seen what can happen when hate speech and hate crimes are normalized and ignored, and we remain committed to ensuring it does not continue. https://www.washingtonpost.com//michigan-jewish-cemetery-/

It’s #ElectionDay! Holocaust history teaches us that freedoms like voting are important, and there can be detrimental effects when such freedoms are taken away. If you haven’t voted yet, use the link below to find your nearest polling place, where you can also drop off a completed ballot. https://www.usa.gov/election-office For a post- election talk, join our community tomorrow at 11 am PST for Building Bridges - The Morning After: Sifting Through the Election Results for I...mportant Lessons. Featuring our partners from the Jewish Center for Justice, the Los Angeles Urban League, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), and CAUSE Empowerment. Register now: http://bit.ly/building-bridges-nov-4

Between November 9 and November 10, 1938, Nazis unleashed a state-sponsored pogrom in which 30,000 Jewish men were arrested, Jewish owned homes and businesses destroyed, and more than 1,400 synagogues and Jewish institutions in Germany and Austria burned. Kristallnacht, literally "Night of Crystal" is referred to the Night of Broken Glass due to the shattered glass, broken from the windows of destroyed synagogues and plundered Jewish-owned businesses and homes, littering the ...streets. On November 9, 2020, March of the Living will mark Kristallnacht with an international message of unity and hope. Titled Let There Be Light," March of the Living will invite individuals, institutions and Houses of Worship around the world to keep their lights on during the night of November 9, as a symbol of solidarity and mutual commitment in the shared battle against anti-Semitism, racism, hatred and intolerance. Individuals of all religions and backgrounds are invited to write personal messages of hope in their own words at the campaign’s website: www.motl.org/let-there-be-light The main synagogue in Frankfurt (one of the few not destroyed on Kristallnacht) will be illuminated, along with other places of spiritual significance across the world. Personal messages and prayers from the virtual campaign will be projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. These individual expressions of optimism and unity will help illuminate the world against darkness and hatred. #LetThereBeLight

It’s with immense sadness we report the passing of one of our cherished survivors, Sally Zielinski Roisman. Sally was born in 1930 in Przyrow, Poland to a middle class Jewish family. Of eleven children, Sally and five of her siblings were the only members of her family to survive the Holocaust. She eventually settled in Los Angeles with her husband and found comfort in art. She received several awards for her beautiful portraits of Jewish life before the Holocaust and biblic...al images, which reminded her of her father. Sally will be incredibly missed and her contribution to Holocaust education will never be forgotten. May her memory be a blessing. To hear Sally’s testimony visit our partners at the USC Shoah Foundation: https://www.youtube.com/watch

Holocaust history teaches us that freedoms like voting are important, and there can be detrimental effects when such freedoms are taken away. As we near Election Day, we urge you to use your voice and vote! Avoid Election Day crowds by dropping off your ballot at a certified ballot drop box or a polling place. Find your nearest drop off site here: https://www.usa.gov/election-office. After the election, we invite you to join us on November 4 at 11 am Pacific Time for Buildin...g Bridges - The Morning After: Sifting Through the Election Results for Important Lessons. Join several of California’s most respected community leaders the morning after the 2020 election as they analyze the election results and offer their thoughts on what the results mean for the future. Be part of a conversation about how our communities can work together toward common goals. Featuring our partners from the Jewish Center for Justice, the Los Angeles Urban League, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), and CAUSE Empowerment. Moderator: Museum Board Member Dan Schnur, Professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and UC Berkeley. To learn more and get tickets: http://bit.ly/building-bridges-nov-4

Watch a sneak peek of our Livestream Special! Thanks to the enthusiastic response from our guests, we have extended ticket sales for our Livestream Special: 45 Minutes of Inspiration until October 31, 2020! Join host Melissa Rivers and your favorite Hollywood stars, scholars and elected officials in our fight against hatred and antisemitism. Get tickets and instantly access the full show: https://app.mobilecause.com/form/8XwAeQ?vid=d6zzj... #LivestreamSpecial #45MinutesofInspiration #LetTruthSpeak #InspiringHumanityThroughTruth #HolocaustMuseumLA

Holocaust Survivor Talk: Joe Hess Joe Hess was born in Fulda, Germany in 1932 and was on one of the last Kindertransports. Joe and his siblings were separated from their parents. By 1948, Joe and his siblings immigrated to the United States where he finished his education and served in the Air Force during the Korean War. When Joe moved to California, he served as the Campaign Chair of the Jewish National Fund and has been dedicated to the Jewish community all his life.