2026 Cleveland Luncheon

Seven days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the family fled their hometown via train, hoping to find safety to the east. When Nazi planes began bombing the railway, the family set out on foot—taking only what they could carry. Eventually, they arrived in the small town of Gwoździec (in modern-day Ukraine) and settled into a one-room apartment. Due to a secret agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to divide Poland, Soviet troops soon marched into the town and took control. Soviet authorities sent Rina and her family to a forced labor camp in Siberia along with other Polish refugees. Toward the end of 1941, Soviet authorities allowed Rina’s family to leave Siberia. But just a few weeks after they arrived in Uzbekistan, Rina’s father developed severe abdominal pains and died, likely related to years of nutritional deprivation he suffered in Siberia. In 1949, after many years of hardship and uncertainty in Uzbekistan and then in Poland, Rina and the surviving members of her family gained passage to Israel. There, Rina met a US tourist and survivor of Auschwitz, Samuel Frankel (z”l). They married two months later in 1954. They made their home in Cleveland, where they raised their family. Rina and Samuel began supporting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum before its opening more than 30 years ago. Rina has also served on the board of the Kol Israel Foundation, the Cleveland survivors’ organization, for nearly 60 years, most recently as its vice president. She was also a past president of NA’AMAT USA’s Cleveland Council, board member of the College of Jewish Studies (now part of Case Western Reserve University), board member of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, chairman of the board of the women’s division of Israel Bonds, and vice president of Park Synagogue. She has served on the board of regents of the American Friends of Hebrew University for the past 14 years. Rina and Samuel have five children, 11 grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. Photo: Holocaust survivor and 2026 Cleveland Luncheon Honoree Rina Frankel. Courtesy of Rina Frankel

Georgia’s New York Times-bestselling novel, We Were the Lucky Ones, is based on her family’s Holocaust experiences. It has been published in over 20 languages and was adapted into a highly acclaimed limited television series. At the 2026 Cleveland Luncheon, Georgia will discuss her work bringing her family’s Holocaust experiences to light. She will also reflect on the meaningful decision to entrust the Museum with precious family artifacts from the Holocaust, including fake IDs and papers used to evade capture by the Nazis. On March 26, 2024, more than 25 members of Georgia’s family gathered at the Museum in Washington, DC, to donate their collection, ensuring its safekeeping for future generations. Her second novel, One Good Thing, explores life for Jews in Italy during World War II. Georgia lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons.

Photo: ⓒ Andrea Carson

Representing the Museum and the United States, Kyra has presented at several international conferences on Holocaust art. She appeared in the National Geographic Channel's Emmy-nominated documentary, which was based on her research, about the 350 American POWs sent to the Berga concentration camp. She was also a featured speaker during the Museum's 20th anniversary commemorative national tour.