I Am Not Afraid - A Holocaust Survivor Story for Teens & Parents

I Am Not Afraid - A Holocaust Survivor Story for Teens & Parents offers a valuable opportunity to hear from and engage with local Holocaust survivor Ralph S. Join us at JCC East Bay (1414 Walnut Street) On Tuesday, April 22nd, from 7 to 8:30 pm for this impactful event.

Ralph was born in Dresden, Germany, in 1931 to a Polish father and a mother whose family had lived in Dresden for 150 years. At the age of 7½, he was sent alone on a Kindertransport to England to escape the Holocaust and was later evacuated to the English countryside during the war. Ralph studied at the London School of Economics before immigrating to the United States at 27. He moved to California in 1962 and worked in public agency real estate, including seven years with BART, until his retirement in 1997.

Now residing in Oakland, Ralph shares his Holocaust experiences as a member of the JFCS Holocaust Center’s William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau, speaking in schools and presenting the Oscar-winning documentary Into the Arms of Strangers. He has returned to Germany several times to speak at schools in Dresden and Heidelberg.

The event will begin with an interview with Ralph, during which he will share his story and wisdom with us. After the interview, there will be an open Q&A session, during which teens and parents will have the opportunity to engage with Ralph personally and learn more about his life and experiences.

Our interview and discussion with Ralph are part of the annual Zikaron BaSalon ("Remembrances in the Living Room") program. This program commemorates the Holocaust through intimate gatherings that allow for meaningful conversations and storytelling, passing the torch from large ceremonies to conversations and stories told in more intimate, meaningful gatherings.

Please join us in hearing from Ralph and learning the importance of remembering, honoring, and commemorating.

This event is the second in a series of Holocaust remembrance programs for teens and parents presented in partnership with The JFCS Holocaust Center. If you are viewing this page before March 25th, we highly encourage you to join us for the first event: I Am Not Afraid—Holocaust Education for Teens & Parents, which will be held on March 25th at 6:30 p.m. at the JCC. Learn more and register here.

This program is proudly supported by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC Association of North America Program Accelerator and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.

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Equal access to all: The JCC East Bay invites you to join us for this program. We welcome and support our diverse Jewish community, people of all religions, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, communities of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. The JCC East Bay believes it is important for people of all abilities to feel welcome and included in our space. Our 100+ year old historic building does offer limitations, and cannot accommodate everyone in the way we would hope. Please let us know your specific needs so we can best make you feel included in our space. We look forward to hearing from you to make your experience at the JCC East Bay a positive one. We invite you to contact our Community Engagement Manager, Noah Curtis-Goldstein ([email protected]) to ensure your experience at the JCC East Bay a positive one.

Photography/Videography: Please be aware that JCC East Bay may be taking photographs at this event and may use the photos in our marketing. If you do not want your image recorded for marketing purposes, please make your wishes known to the photographer, and/or the event organizers. By participating in this event, you consent to your voice, name, and/or likeness being used, without compensation, for use in any and all media.

Host or Publisher JCC East Bay