Kurt Herman Speaks on 65th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation

On Wednesday January 27th, the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Holocaust Survivor Kurt Herman spoke to members of the Planned Parenthood-sponsored Rainbow Room in Doylestown PA.
The Rainbow Room is a regional center for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered youth who need a supportive, safe, and empowering environment where their needs and questions can be answered.

In his own light and often amusing way, Herman spoke of the serious trauma of separation he experienced from his immediate and extended family as they traveled to strange and isolated regions of the world in Canada, China, France, Poland, and Italy. Herman explained that he was lucky enough to be chosen as one of 50 of 600 children to escape before the worst persecution, traveling to America as part of a Kidertransport program. He immediately recognized that, as a twelve year old with out parental supervision, he had a responsibility to take care of the younger members of his group.

Kurt acknowledged the generosity of Brith Sholom who sponsored his escape from Nazi Germany and his foster parents who kept him more than comfortable until his parents could take charge of his care once again. Because his family recognized their need to leave Germany prior to WWII, only two members were lost to the horror of the Holocaust. Kurt thrived in the United States, graduating from Penn State, excelling as a professional accountant. He has a wife, three daughters, and numerous grandchildren.

The evening program concluded with inspired questions from the youth group and revelations by three members, some in tears, who acknowledged that their grandparents were either holocaust survivors or liberators.