Holocaust Survivor Inge Auerbacher to Share Experience in Somerset and London on September 17 as Part of Somerset Community College’s 50th Anniversary Speaker’s Series
Born on December 31, 1934 in Kippenheim, Germany, Inge Auerbacher was the last Jewish child born in her village. At three years old, her father was taken from her family as part of Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass.” Although he was released, her family was again deported four years later, leading to Auerbacher spending three years in a concentration camp as part of the Holocaust.
More than one million children were killed during the Holocaust. Auerbacher, luckily, was not one of them.
Auerbacher, who is the only child survivor from the State of Wuerttemberg who was deported from Stuttgart, Germany to the concentration camps, will be sharing her experience on Thursday, September 17 as part of Somerset Community College’s 50th Anniversary Speaker’s Series. Speaking engagements will be held in both Somerset and London. Both sessions are free and open to the public.
Two opportunities to hear “Memories of a Child Survivor of the Holocaust”
Thursday, September 17, 2015
1 p.m.
Health Science Building (Building 3)
SCC Laurel North Campus
100 University Drive, London
Thursday, September 17, 2015
7 p.m. (reception at 6:30 p.m.)
Meece Hall Auditorium
SCC Somerset North Campus
808 Monticello Street, Somerset
About Inge Auerbacher
Auerbacher experienced Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, as a three-year old child. Her father was a disabled war veteran from WWI who was awarded the Iron Cross. Her father and grandfather were both deported that night to the Dachau concentration camp on November 10, 1938, but were both were released from their torture after a few weeks and then deported again.
Auerbacher was imprisoned from 1942 -1945 in the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. She and her parents survived these terrible years but 13 immediate members of her family were killed, and many more distant relatives.
Auerbacher and her parents immigrated to the United States in 1946. She suffered from tuberculosis as a result of the terrible conditions in the concentration camp. According to Auerbacher, years of hospitalization, chemotherapy and the loss of 8 years of schooling followed. Despite her hardships, Auerbacher graduated from Queens College in New York with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. She worked for 38 years a chemist in medical research and clinical work.
Today, Auerbacher is retired and travels to many countries to speak about the Holocaust, tolerance and human rights. She has been the subject of documentary films, and the recipient of many honors including: New York State Woman of Distinction; Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Long Island University, New York City; Ellis Island Medal of Honor; Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award; Queens College Alumni Star Award; and many others.
Auerbacher is the author of the following 6 books, and has been published in 9 languages: I Am A Star---Child of the Holocaust; Beyond the Yellow Star To America; Running Against the Wind; Finding Dr. Schatz---The Discovery of Streptomycin And a Life it Saved (Co-author Dr. Albert Schatz); Highway To New York; and Children of Terror (Co-author Bozenna Urbanowicz Gilbride).
“Through words and poetry, Inge tells her harrowing story, and how they carried strength and courage of will that allowed them to survive. Yet, rather than imparting bitterness, she manages to convey to young readers her hope for humanity as her story unfolds through the eyes and memories of a young girl. Her hope and courage, in spite of the hardships she endured in those years, are proof that the joy in life cannot be kept out of even the darkest places,” her website says of her book I Am A Star – Child of the Holocaust. Auerbacher’s lecture at SCC is entitled “Memories of a Child Survivor of the Holocaust” and will also speak to her experience.
Auerbacher’s visit to Somerset Community College is part of the college’s 50th Anniversary celebration, which extends through 2015 and honors the college’s beginning in 1965. To find out more about the 50th Anniversary, visit scc50.org. To find out more about Auerbacher, visit ingeauerbacher.com.