By Regan Lipes
(AJNews) &#; In Edmonton, on January 27, community members, friends, allies and local dignitaries gathered at the Art Gallery of Alberta for a somber program to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Red Army’s liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Jewish Federation of Edmonton hosted a special evening of remembrance that included a brief program and an opportunity to view the Here to Tell: Faces of Holocaust Survivors exhibition which was on display until February 9.
Dr. Francie Cyngiser, daughter of survivors Bronia and Sidney Cyngiser of blessed memory, gave an emotional description of the history and meaning of the exhibit – which was the brainchild of Dahlia Libin and Marnie Bondar &#; co-chairs of the Holocaust and Human Rights: Remembrance and Education department of the Calgary Jewish Federation and each the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors. They were responsible for bringing the exhibit to Edmonton with the help of several generous donors. The original Here to Tell exhibit was first shown at the Glenbow at the Edison in Calgary in May , attracting more than 10, visitors. A curated second
by Maxine Fischbein
(AJNews) &#; The Nazis murdered nearly her entire family. They attempted to rob her of her humanity by shaving her hair and reducing her to the number they tattooed on her forearm shortly after she was herded through the gates of hell at Auschwitz.
But prisoner # had the last laugh.
Holocaust Survivor Freda Plucer z&#;l. (file photo)
On January 11, , Holocaust survivor Freda Plucer died peacefully at the age of 97 surrounded by her loving family. Despite the enormous tragedy that befell her during the Shoah, Freda survived and thrived, becoming a family matriarch, a successful businesswoman and an advocate for Holocaust remembrance and education.
Her path was not an easy one. Before they perished, Freda’s mother and sister pleaded with her to survive so she could share their story. It was this sacred duty that compelled her to choose life rather than the electric fence.
Some four decades later, in the mids, Survivors like Freda who had settled in Alberta were shocked by headlines about Jim Keegstra – an Eckville teacher who for years poisoned students’ minds with anti-Semitic rants and Holocaust denial. Keegstra’s highly publicized trial (whic
by Maxine Fischbein
(AJNews) &#; Tears were, no doubt, shed in at least three Alberta cities when Fania (Fanny) Wedro passed away on August 21, , just four days short of her 96th birthday.
Laying Fanny to her eternal rest at the Chevra Kadisha Cemetery in Calgary was a moment of mixed emotions for all who knew her. There was great sadness in a community that had, over the years, become Fanny’s extended family. But there was also much comfort in giving her the time-honoured funeral rites that were denied her family and millions of other men, women and children slaughtered by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II.
For Fanny (née Elman), born in , nothing in life was ever a guarantee.
Only 14 years old when the Nazis marched into her town of Korzec, Ukraine in and took her father away, Fanny was forced to dig ditches and clean the Synagogue where the Nazis made a point of stabling their horses. Her mother was shot into a mass grave by the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squad)—assisted in their murderous task by Ukrainian auxiliary police.
Fanny was one of the remaining Jews forced to cover the horrifying kill site. She never forgot the rivers of blood and
8 Famous Holocaust Survivors Who Shared Their Stories of Resilience
World War II exposed some of the darkest aspects of mankind when Nazi Germany systematically exterminated 6 million European Jews. From pograms and gas chambers to mass shootings and concentration camps, the Holocaust left a devastating stain on Germany and displaced an incredible number of Jews, prisoners of war, and other discriminated groups who were forced to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Many Holocaust survivors have since made their mark on the world.
After enduring horror and heartbreak, famous Holocaust survivors like Otto Frank, Dr. Ruth, and Elie Weisel have demonstrated strength and resilience. In some cases, that has meant sharing stories from the Holocaust. Other survivors have changed the course of history through their work in criminal justice, politics, and art.
Otto Frank
Otto Frank published his daughter’s diary chronicling her life during the Holocaust.
–
Among his wife, Edith, and his daughters, Margot and Anne, Otto Frank was the lone survivor of the Holocaust in his family. In the early s, the businessman moved his family from Germany to Amsterdam in hopes of avoiding the
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