Letter from Sylvia Frankel to Elie Wiesel regarding Holocaust research and a conference

This document is a brochure or program from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, celebrating its Scholar-Statesman Award. The award honors outstanding leaders whose public service and professional achievements demonstrate the importance of sound scholarship and a discerning knowledge of history for wise and effective U.S. Middle East policy. The document features an image and name of President William Jefferson Clinton, indicating his association with the award, possibly as a recipient or a featured figure. The second page lists the extensive leadership, board of directors, and various chairs of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, including their names and roles within the organization, along with the institute's contact information and mission statement as a 501(c)(3) organization.

George Bush writes a personal letter to Dr. Elie Wiesel on October 27, 1987, expressing the profound emotional impact he and Barbara experienced after their visit to Auschwitz. He acknowledges Wiesel's views on Auschwitz and states that the visit left an indelible mark, specifically mentioning the haunting sights of "mounds of hair, the empty gas canisters, the horrible torture cells, and the children's toys." Bush emphasizes that while not all victims were Jews, all Jews were victims. He also notes the clear and vital affection of the Polish people for America observed during their trip. The letter concludes with warm wishes and sincere thanks.

Sophie Roth, née Parille, born in Zloczow, Poland, was one of four children in a religious family. She refers to the German bombing and invasion in 1939, and the killing of doctors and teachers by Germans, aided by Poles and Ukranians. She worked in forced labor camps in Lazczow and Kosice until 1942, when she was shot and lost a leg. A Polish teenager, whom she tutored, travelled to Lemberg to obtain a prosthesis for her. She describes hiding in a fish barrel and then in a Polish peasant’s stable with her family, in exchange for money, jewelry and the deed to their house. She details near-starvation and suffocating subliminal existence under a manure pile with nine other people. Forced to leave by their sadistic “benefactor”, her family found shelter in an unheated basement of a Polish teacher, Elena Sczychovska, and her husband, who was the local police commandant. Fourteen people were sheltered there during the last year of the war. She mentions the hostility of neighbors when her family returned to their home. In 1947, she married a Hebrew teacher who lost his religious faith and his entire family. She remained a believer, attributing her survival to God’s miracles. A daughter was born in Paris in 1952 and the family emigrated, aided by HIAS and by Jewish Family Service in Philadelphia. She reads several poems, recalling horrendous Holocaust memories, into the interview. Interviewee: ROTH, Sophie Date: March 9, 1988

This document is an invitation from the Municipality of Sighetu Marmaţiei, signed by Mayor Gh. Ovidiu Nemeş, to Professor Wiesel. It invites Professor Wiesel to a series of cultural events on May 18, 2014, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the deportations and dedicated to victims of the Holocaust in Maramureș. The program includes a Commemoration Service, exhibits of Jewish life in Sighet prior to WWII, a musical performance, a play, a conference with presentations by survivors or their children, documentaries, and an essay contest. The invitation emphasizes that the commemoration is an act of remembrance for the Jewish citizens of Sighet and aims to educate the younger generation about Jewish culture and history, promoting understanding and fighting prejudice and racism.

This document is a program booklet for a two-part event held at Chapman University in November 2013, commemorating the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. The first part, "Perspectives on Kristallnacht 75 Years Later," features a symposium with Holocaust survivors and scholars sharing their experiences and research related to Kristallnacht and its broader context. Key contributors include Idele Steuer Stapholtz, Engelina Lowenberg Billauer, Curt Lowens, and Cantor Leopold Szneer, all Holocaust survivors and witnesses. Academic faculty from Chapman University and other institutions also present their perspectives. The second part is "An Interfaith Service of Remembrance for Kristallnacht" with guest speaker Richard Fybel. The program includes biographies of the speakers and historical information related to the Holocaust. It highlights the importance of remembrance and education regarding the events of Kristallnacht and its devastating impact.