‘Women of the World’ brings Holocaust survivor to Memorial Hall

By Wesley Dickinson

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Inge Auerbacher will speak to students Wednesday about how she and her family survived the holocaust for the Student Activities Board’s lecture series, “Women of the World.”

Auerbacher and her family were imprisoned at the Terezin Nazi concentration camp in the Czechoslovakia from 1942 to 1945. She will talk about her life before, during and after the holocaust, according to the SAB website.

The lecture will be at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

“She lived through a time a lot of us have only heard about through history books,” said Lee Mengistu, SAB’s director of multicultural affairs. “It is very interesting to hear from someone who has overcome so much adversity.”

Related: Students should go to Holocaust survivor lecture

Auerbacher and her family moved to the U.S. after being liberated from Terezin. She was determined to complete her education, and in 1958 she completed a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, according to her website.

Auerbacher has since dedicated her life to writing and lecturing people around the world about the holocaust.

Her works include the award-winning books “I Am A Star: Child of the Holocaust” and “Beyond the Yellow Star to America.”  In 1999, she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Louis E. Yavner Citizen award from the Board of Regents of New York.

“This lecture is important for all students, but female students in particular will be inspired and they can see that they can go somewhere with their education and their dreams,” Mangistu said.

The first “Women of the World” speaker, Judy Smith, was the inspiration for the popular ABC political drama “Scandal,” and its protagonist Olivia Pope. Most recently, Latina actress and activist Rosario Dawson discussed female empowerment and how she became successful.

The lecture is free and open to the public.