Honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance day on April 17, University School of Milwaukee held two assemblies for 7th and 8th grade students, each featuring a local historian with ties to World War II and the Holocaust. 

Nina Edelman
Nina Edelman spoke to students on Tuesday, April 18. She grew up in Milwaukee and attended Nicolet High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the daughter of an American Jewish vet who had been captured by the Nazis in The Battle of the Bulge. The details of his remarkable story of survival and his surprising friendship with a German pilot only became known to his family and friends with the publication of “A Tale of Two Soldiers.” Nina is a retired school librarian and freelance writer who urged her father, at 85, to reveal his story. She has spoken at bookstores, libraries, schools, book clubs, and religious groups in several states to share this unique tale of optimism and determination in the face of despair and evil.

Marty Thau
Marty Thau spoke to students on Wednesday, April 26 and shared the story of his father, Charlie, who was a Holocaust survivor who led a fascinating and heart-wrenching journey to safety. After losing his parents and two brothers, Charlie survived by living 19 months in the woods, joined the Russian Army, and battled for survival every day of his life until the war ended. He remained in Europe after the war, later relocated to Israel, and, in 1951, received sponsorship to immigrate to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Charlie ultimately settled in Milwaukee, met his wife Ida, had three children, and owned a successful business.

Marty serves as a volunteer speaker for the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, a program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Throughout the year these individuals travel around Wisconsin visiting schools, churches, synagogues, and other community groups telling their Holocaust survival story. All Speakers Bureau visits are entirely free of charge.