2010 - 2011 Events

A survivor of five concentration camps who lost her parents and six siblings in the Holocaust, shared her story of struggle and survival.

Originally from Germany and Robert Frimtzis from Bessarabia (Moldova) talked about life under a totalitarian regime and how they escaped. They were introduced by UC San Diego Professors Deborah Hertz and Amelia Glaser.

Originally from Essen, Germany, spent three years in Auschwitz. He shares his experience at the Nazi's most infamous concentration camp and talks about how he overcame the hatred of the past.

A survivor of the Auschwitz, Gunskirchen, and Mauthausen concentration camps, Eger came to the U.S. with her husband and daughter in 1949, earned her Ph.D. in psychology and now has her own psychotherapy practice and an appointment at UC San Diego. Eger is a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul and travels worldwide to share her story with others, in addition to counseling patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

After passing through several concentration camps Ben Midler went to Palestine where he joined the Jewish underground army. He describes life on the frontlines and explains what prompted him to emigrate to the United States. UC San Diego sociology professor Gershon Shafir provided some historical context on Israel in the 1940s.

Ruth escaped from Vienna to the United States in 1940 with her mother. She grew up knowing little about what happened to the rest of her family, whom she left in Austria. Her story provides a unique perspective of those children who knew little about their own families' past and how they dealt with this absence.

Schenk will discuss the experiences of his father, Sydney Schenk, who grew up in Peregrul-Mare, in what was then Austria-Hungary. Sydney Schenk was liberated in Yugoslavia at the end of the war and later moved to Los Angeles. Fred Schenk will also discuss what it was like being the child of a Holocaust survivor.

Rose came from Hungary and ended up in Auschwitz. Max survived Theresienstadt. After the war they met in England and got married. Today they relate their unique story of survival and triumph.

Frimtzis will present his experiences in the Holocaust and his life afterward as an aerospace engineer for NASA, Hughes Aircraft Company, and TRW. His book From Tajikistan to the Moon discusses his experiences escaping from the Nazis and his postwar career.

Mrs. Martin was born in Bedzin, Poland and survived the Bedzin Ghetto and the Ludwigsdorf and Auschwitz concentration camps.

Mrs. Krasner-Lebovitz was born in Liepaja, Latvia and survived the Liepaja Ghetto and the Stolp, Stutthof, Riga-Kaiserwald, Riga-Reichsban, and Danzig/Schichau-Weft concentration camps.

Rose Schindler discussed her experiences in the Holocaust. Mrs. Schindler was born in Seredne, Czechoslovakia and survived the Uzhorod Ghetto, Freudenthal concentration camp, and Auschwitz II-Birkenau death camp. She resides in San Diego with her husband, Max Schindler, who is also a Holocaust survivor.

Mrs. Ehrenfried was born in Rakosliget, Hungary, and survived Muhldorf, Krakau-Plaslow and Ausburg concentration camps and Auschwitz II-Birkenau death camp. This presentation was part of Hate Free Week scheduling at UC San Diego. The event also featured a discussion of the Armenian Genocide by Yeghig Keshishian, Armenian Assembly Western Office Director, and a panel of UC San Diego students from various organizations who talked about their experiences of sterotyping and racism on our campus. Also as part of Hate Free Week, the workshop sponsored the Davka Exhibit, a multi-media exhibit located in the Geisel Library on how Survivors in San Diego dealt with life after the Holocaust.

Mrs. Marx was bornin Hamm, Germany and survived the Riga ghetto and Stutthof and Riga-Kaiserwald concentration camps. Mr. Maschowsky was born in Elbing, Germany and survived Muhldorf, Nuendorf, Auschwitz, Auschwitz III-Monowitz, Uberwustegiersdorf, and Gelsenkirchen concentration camps. They shared the stories of their experiences in the Holocaust.

HIEU 158, "Why Hitler? How Auschwitz?" taught by Deborah Hertz

In this course on the history of the Holocaust, students learned about answers to the following questions: Why did Germany in 1919 produce an Adolf Hitler? How did the Nazis take power in 1933? Why did the Third Reich last until 1945? Why did the war against the Jews become industrial and absolute? As part of the writing requirements, students had the option to do a project based on the Visual History Archive. On their own, or with the help of Program Coordinator Susanne Hillman, students examined individual testimonies against the background of scholarly research.

CAT II, "Animation, Simulation and Performance" taught by Emily Roxworthy