(Seguin) — Seguin this week will again get the rare and unique opportunity to directly hear one of the very few child survivors of the Holocaust.
Inge Auerbacher will travel to Seguin for the 15th time to share her personal story through a presentation titled “The Holocaust Through the Eyes of a Child Survivor.”
Auerbacher will recall her memories of entering the Terezin (Theresiendstadt) concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Of the 15,000 children at the camp, only about one percent survived.
Today, the Holocaust survivor embraces her story sharing it with others as an author and inspirational speaker. Silvia Christy, the assistant library director, says Seguin should be grateful for the opportunity to host Auerbacher year after year.
“It’s an important piece of our history and we need to be sure to remember always what can happen when people look the other way or don’t step in and stand up for what is right. So having Inge come back and talk to us about the things that went on during that time of our history is very important because everybody can do something and part of her message is to not ignore what is going on around us and I think for us, the library, it is important to make ourselves available to spread that message to the community,” said Christy.
Auerbacher’s first visit to the Seguin area was inspired by a tolerance lesson at Navarro Intermediate School. Since that time, she continues her annual trip to Seguin.
Today, Auerbacher tells her life story in several books including “I am a Star”- Child of the Holocaust and “Beyond the Yellow Star to America.”
Auerbacher reportedly spent her time in the camp between 1942-1945. A total of 140,000 people were shipped to Terezin concentration camp. Of those individuals, 88,000 were reportedly sent to the gas chambers in Auschwitz while another 35,000 died of malnutrition and disease. Again, of the 15,000 children imprisoned in Terezin, Auerbacher and her parents were among the 1 percent that survived. The Red Army rescued Auerbacher’s family on May 8, 1945. Shortly after, the family immigrated to New York City in May 1946. Seven years later, Auerbacher obtained US citizenship and graduated from Queens College. The next 38 years working was spent working as a chemist.
Auerbacher will be presenting at two various times on Friday at the Seguin Public Library. Those presentation times are at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The presentation is free. However, due to limited seating, tickets are required in advance. Tickets can be picked up for free at the library. There is a maximum of two tickets per person. Any remaining tickets will be distributed at the door.
Autographed copies of Dr. Auerbacher’s book will also be available for purchase.