By: Lori Ellis – Bernard (Benek) Klisman was born on December 12, 1923 to Raizel and Moshe Klisman in the city of Sosnowiec, Poland. He was 1 of 8 children, and 1 of the 3 members of his family that would miraculously survive the Holocaust. Most of his Holocaust history was held privately by him… Continue Reading My Story – Bernard Klisman
By: Anne Donato, Ph.D, Education Specialist – There is an old saying…one man’s findings are another man’s treasure. And as I looked from my desk out into our library archives, I saw a beautiful piece of gold. Hanging on our wall. Looking at me with dark eyes and a simple smile. It was a pencil… Continue Reading The Anne Frank Lithograph – Our Hidden Treasure
By: HMC Archival Staff – This brass Menorah (c. 1900), used during the Jewish festival of Chanukah, was brought to the US by Lili and Karl Kolb in 1938, shortly before the Anschluss – the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. The Kolbs narrowly escaped the Anschluss with the help of Ida and Sam Arkin… Continue Reading A Menorah That Escaped The Anschluss
By: Rae (Wygoda) Nachbar, Holocaust Survivor – Was it luck? I am a survivor from Pultusk, Poland. On Sept 26, 1939, the entire Jewish population of over 3,000 people was driven out without warning by the Germans. They would not allow us to turn back and on foot, we ended up in Bialystok in the… Continue Reading My Story – Rae Nachbar
By: Sophie (Tajch) Klisman, Holocaust Survivor – At the age of 88, I attended my mother’s funeral. I know I sound too old to be attending my mother’s funeral, but you see, the Holocaust robbed her of a proper Jewish funeral and me of a proper good bye. In the Jewish tradition, her body should have… Continue Reading My Story – Sophie (Tajch) Klisman
By: HMC Editorial Staff – The Holocaust Memorial Center is the repository of numerous Holocaust artifacts. They often have fascinating backgrounds from which we can learn important historical and ethical lessons. Below are two spotlights on artifacts that illuminate stories that are not-so-well-known, but represent the dramatic tales of lives saved and loved-ones lost during… Continue Reading Artifacts: Oh, the stories they can tell!
