Connecticut Remembers the Holocaust introduces visitors to first-hand history of the Holocaust through the experiences of child survivors who settled in Connecticut, rebuilding their lives in America after the trauma of World War II.
Through their lives and their memories, we can learn the importance of preserving the past to build a better future. All of us can play a role in building a society dedicated to mutual understanding and respect that celebrates diversity and cares for others.
Through the testimony of the survivors, as well as the stories of their children and grandchildren, we can:
- learn what happens when prejudice and discrimination are allowed to spread without the intervention of responsible individuals and governments;
- learn about the lasting impact of the Holocaust into the 21st century;
- learn about the survivors and their families who bear witness to those who perished in WWII;
- learn of the survivors' remarkable resilience who came to Connecticut and became part of our community.
Ruth "Tutti" Fishman
“When you see bad things happen in the world, step up and do something. Even if the thing is small. We all have to work to make this world a better place.”
Leon Chameides, MD
“If you are a survivor, at some point, you are going to have to ask yourself, ‘why did I survive?’ And that puts a sort of burden to accomplish something with your life because you’ve got to, number one, deserved to have survived and number two, live life for those who didn’t.”
Margot Jeremias
"When I got to Heidelberg I could literally hear the glass shattering...I heard the shattering, I heard the shouting, 'kill the Jew' and all that. Someone (a Jewish man) met me and said 'don't come out, try to get home with the next train,' all the while listening to all that."
Abby Weiner
“I always told my children as my father told me, to be a proud Jew, stand up for Jewish causes, and don’t let anyone get away with belittling you that you are scum of the earth. And if you can do that, you will have a happy life.”
Ruth Lazowski
"I have always been a very optimistic person...I would always say in the forest: 'we are all going to survive.'"
Rabbi Phillip Lazowski
"The shooting began immediately and without discrimination. My father went to the basement of their house and watched the carnage through the window, while the rest of my family, my mother, three brothers and baby sister, huddled in what seemed to be the safety of our house...My boyhood ended on that black day of June 28, 1941 with the roar of the trucks. I was eleven years old."
Ernest "Bumi" Gelb
“I made my way back to my home which was now occupied by neighbors. I found my father and my sister Libu. My dear mother and two younger sisters and more than 100 relatives had perished.”
Edith Denes
"If there is life there is hope. We must always hope for a better future"
herocenter@ctvoicesofhope.org | 20 Waterside Drive, Suite 100, Farmington, CT 06032 | 860.470.5591