Nearly every day at the Museum, Holocaust survivors volunteer their time to meet with people of all ages and backgrounds. Their personal experiences of being targeted by hate before rebuilding their lives captivate today’s visitors, especially during the current surge in antisemitism and Holocaust denial. To ensure that anyone, anywhere, can learn from these powerful teachers, the Museum has helped them speak to audiences around the globe via our website and social media. Their recorded messages about the dangers of unchecked antisemitism and hatred will ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust reach people beyond our walls and for generations to come.
Join us for An Evening to Honor Holocaust Survivors 2025 to hear from three survivors whose most painful memories have become our most vital lessons.
Photos above: US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of (first row, left to right) Susan Warsinger, Nat Shaffir, Halina Peabody, Rose-Helene Spreiregen, Peter Gorog, Ruth Cohen, Albert Garih; (second row, left to right) George Salamon, Esther Rosenfeld Starobin, Marcel Drimer, Emanuel “Manny” Mandel, Josiane Traum, Louise Lawrence-Israëls, Peter Feigl
Featured Guests
Speakers
- Emanuel “Manny” Mandel
Holocaust Survivor and Volunteer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Manny was born on May 8, 1936, to Yehudah and Ella in the city of Riga, Latvia. Shortly after Manny’s birth, Yehudah accepted a post as one of the four chief cantors in Budapest, and the family returned to Hungary, where they had lived before 1933. In 1938, the Hungarian government—a future ally of Nazi Germany—passed the first of several anti-Jewish laws. During World War II, Yehuda received orders to perform forced labor, which required him to leave his family for periods of time. German forces invaded Hungary in March 1944, which made life even more restrictive for Jews. The deportation of Hungarian Jews began in spring 1944, and most were deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center. While Yehuda was away on a forced labor assignment, Manny, Ella, and Yehudah’s brother escaped Nazi-occupied Hungary on the Kasztner transport train along with nearly 1,700 other Hungarian Jews. Hungarian journalist Rudolf Kasztner had negotiated this transport with Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann, to rescue some Hungarian Jews from deportation to Auschwitz. The transport was not immediately taken to safety, but was diverted to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Manny and his family spent six months there. In December 1944, they were released to neutral Switzerland, where they stayed for the remainder of the war. They reunited with Yehuda in British-controlled Palestine in 1946. The family immigrated to the United States in 1949.
- Rose-Helene Spreiregen
Holocaust Survivor and Volunteer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Rose-Helene was born on March 6, 1931, in Paris, France. She was raised by her mother, Rivka, and her grandmother, Sarah. In May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded and occupied northern France. Beginning in 1942, Nazi Germany and its French collaborators carried out deportations of Jews from France. In June, Jews in the occupied zone of France were required to wear a yellow Star of David badge, on their garments. It became unsafe for Rose-Helene to attend school, as Jewish children were being arrested while in class and deported with their families. That summer, Rivka was warned about an impending roundup by a local police officer. She obtained false identification papers and attempted to flee to unoccupied southern France. She was arrested, sent to the Drancy transit camp, and then sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center, where she was likely murdered in August 1942. Sarah and Rose-Helene kept a low profile and moved into Rivka's vacant apartment. One year later, they heard rumors of another round-up, and Sarah and Rose-Helene fled Paris using forged identification papers. They sought refuge in the village of Voiron in southern France. At age 12, Rose-Helene managed a small grocery store while her grandmother bartered with local residents for goods. Voiron was liberated in August 1944, and Rose-Helene and Sarah returned to Paris in November. Rose-Helene immigrated to the United States in 1961.
- Josiane Traum
Holocaust Survivor and Volunteer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Josie was born in Brussels, Belgium, on March 21, 1939, to Jacques and Fanny. After Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940, Jacques fled to England because it was believed that men were more likely to be arrested by the Nazis than women. Fanny joined the resistance and hid refugees in her apartment. After Nazi authorities began deporting Belgian Jews in summer 1942, Fanny used her connections with the underground resistance movement to place Josie into hiding. Josie was placed in a convent where she was one of three Jewish children being hidden among other children in the orphanage. The nuns were strict with all the children, who spent their days praying the rosary and playing in the courtyard. Eventually, the underground relocated Josie to the home of a Christian family due to growing Nazi suspicion that the convent was housing Jewish children. For Josie's safety, Fanny was not allowed to know her location. While Josie was in hiding, Fanny was arrested and deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center, but she survived and returned to Belgium after its liberation in 1945. She reunited with Josie and with Jacques, who had been seriously injured when his London home was bombed, after he returned to Belgium in 1946. The family immigrated to the United States in 1949. Josie married a fellow Holocaust survivor, Freddie.
Learn more about Josiane or listen to her tell her story in a podcast.
Event Leadership
Event Chairs
- Emily Heppen
Co-Chair
Emily Heppen is a dedicated leader in Holocaust education, serving on the Washington Next Generation Board of the Museum.
Emily Heppen is a dedicated leader in Holocaust education, serving on the Washington Next Generation Board of the Museum and actively supporting other Jewish nonprofit organizations. Her commitment stems from a personal connection as the granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors, making her passionate about educating future generations on these vital lessons of this history. In her professional life, Emily is the Leasing and Asset Manager for the University of Maryland, College Park, with 13 years in DC area commercial real estate experience.
Photo: Tamzin Smith
- Alisa and Jacob Rosenberg
Co-Chairs
Alisa Brem Rosenberg and Jacob Rosenberg are deeply committed to the Museum’s mission to preserve Holocaust memory, combat antisemitism, and teach the ongoing relevance of the Holocaust.
Alisa Brem Rosenberg and Jacob Rosenberg are deeply committed to the Museum’s mission to preserve Holocaust memory, combat antisemitism, and teach the ongoing relevance of the Holocaust. Alisa, the granddaughter of three Holocaust survivors, serves as co-chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s real estate division and is the founder and managing partner of Junction Development, a multifamily and mixed-use commercial real estate firm. Jacob is senior vice president of investments at Penzance, where he focuses on multifamily and industrial investments, and continues his family’s tradition of supporting the Museum and championing Jewish communal life in Washington, DC. Alisa and Jacob are dedicated to strengthening Jewish life locally, nationally, and internationally, and to ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust are carried forward to new generations. They live in the DC area with their three children.
Event Chairs
Emily Heppen Alisa and Jacob Rosenberg
Event Committee (in formation)
Rachel and David Berman Sophie and Brad Buslik Julia Feinstein and Markus Weiss Andrea Fenster Dr. Cydney Fires and Mr. Michael Fires Ellen and Alex Gertsen Eli Kogan and Kate Linde Kogan Jay and Amy Leveton David Levey and Ilana Ron Levey Laura Levin Samantha Levin Rachel Loew Lipman Sam Lissner Oliver Macklin and Mollie Bowman Warren Margolies and Rebecca Gale Lauren Jonas Murphy Jodi and David Stone Dr. Jennifer Biron Tipograph and Stuart Tipograph
Thank You to Our National and Regional Partners and Donors
Builders of the Beyond Our Walls Fund Corporate Partners Founders Society Legacy of Light Founders Society National Patrons United States Holocaust Memorial Council Washington Next Generation Board
Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
The Mid-Atlantic regional office serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Find out more about past programs and how to contact us.