Norbert Obstfeld (right) poses next to a Christmas tree with Raymonda Verhage, the daughter of his rescuers, in December 1943. USHMM, courtesy of Norbert Vos
Hiding from Nazi persecution of Jews, two-year-old Norbert Obstfeld and his mother, Lea, celebrated Christmas with their rescuers. Teenager Gerda Weissmann fashioned a menorah out of potatoes to observe Hanukkah while imprisoned at the Bolkenhain work camp. Although she didn’t have candles to light, her spiritual resistance ignited a flame of hope among her fellow prisoners for brighter days ahead.
Join us to discover how people defied the oppressive Nazi regime by commemorating holidays during the Holocaust.
Guest
Dr. Lindsay MacNeill, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Host
Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Watch live at facebook.com/holocaustmuseum. You do not need a Facebook account to view our program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages.