Start of Main Content

2022 First Person Series: Emanuel “Manny” Mandel

Conversations with Holocaust Survivors
Holocaust survivor Emanuel Mandel, 1945 (courtesy of Emanuel Mandel) and as an adult, today. US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Holocaust survivor Emanuel Mandel, 1945 (courtesy of Emanuel Mandel) and as an adult, today. US Holocaust Memorial Museum

In 1944, Jewish people in Hungary over the age of six were forced to wear the Star of David on their clothes. Emanuel “Manny” Mandel was seven, too young to recognize the antisemitic law, and his star felt like a mark of distinction that made him one of the adults. His parents knew better: it only made him a target of violence. 

Manny’s father followed him as he walked on the street, afraid his son might be pushed into traffic for no reason other than being marked as Jewish. By June, it was clear that raising their child in Budapest was untenable. Manny and his mother escaped and eventually found refuge in neutral Switzerland.

Speaker
Emanuel “Manny” Mandel, Holocaust Survivor and Museum Volunteer

Moderator
Bill Benson, Journalist and Host, First Person: Conversations with Holocaust Survivors

Watch live at youtube.com/ushmm. You do not need a YouTube account to view our program.

After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum's YouTube page.

First Person is a monthly hour-long discussion with a Holocaust survivor and is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation.

WATCH LIVE