The final conference is open to the public provided you preregister by calling 518-681-4221. THE LIVE STREAM IS HERE
HUDSON FALLS — Holocaust survivors freed from a Nazi death train by American troops are getting together with two of their liberators in upstate New York.
The five survivors were children or young adults when they and about 2,500 other concentration camp inmates were liberated by members of the Army’s 30th Division in April 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II.
Four years ago this month, the first reunion of train survivors and the soldiers who freed them was held at Hudson Falls High School. That’s where history teacher Matthew Rozell’s World War II project helped the veterans and Holocaust survivors reconnect.
A welcoming dinner is being held Tuesday night at a resort near Lake George. The last of Rozell’s educational reunions is being held Wednesday through Friday at the high school.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
MORNING PROGRAM 9:30am-10:59am
9:30 am- Block II at Hudson Falls High School Auditorium
THEME: THE LIBERATORS AND SURVIVORS OF A “TRAIN NEAR MAGDEBURG”
9:40am- Program begins-
Welcome by Mr. James Bennefield, High School Principal
Introduction by Mr. Rene Roberge, Hudson Falls High School / Master of Ceremonies
National Anthem
A Letter from Liberator Carrol Walsh
Speaker: Dr. Tim Gross, son of George C. Gross
Speaker: Liberator Frank Towers
Introduction of members of the 30th Infantry Division ,and Holocaust survivors
10:59 am– End of Morning Program
11:00am- 11:30am-Book Fair/Signings, Media interviews
11:30-1pm- Catered Luncheon, High School Library
12:00-1pm Film, A Special Reunion/The Story of the Liberation of the “Train Near Magdeburg”
AFTERNOON PROGRAM (Seating Limited; Middle School Here)– 1:00pm-2:20pm
Block IV- High School Auditorium
THEME: LIBERATION
1:05pm:Film, A Special Reunion/The Story of the Liberation of the “Train Near Magdeburg”
Speaker: Liberator Frank Towers
Speaker: Survivor Bruria Falik (Hungary; Woodstock, NY)
Speaker: Survivor Fred Spiegel (Germany; Howell, NJ)
2:20 pm Questions and Answers/Conclusion of Day’s Activities
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
MORNING PROGRAM 9:30am-10:59am
9:30 am- Block II at Hudson Falls High School Auditorium
THEME: SURVIVAL AND LIBERATION
9:40 am- Introduction-Program begins-
National Anthem
A Letter to the Chaplain: A Liberator’s 1945 Eyewitness Account of the Farsleben Train-Mr. Rene Roberge, Hudson Falls High School
Speaker: Survivor Leslie Meisels (Hungary; Toronto, Canada)
Speaker: Survivor Ariela Rojek (Poland; Toronto, Canada)
10:59 am– End of Morning Program
11:00am- 11:30am-Book Fair/Signings, Media interviews
11:30-1pm- Catered Luncheon, High School Library
11:35-1pm Film, Paper Clips, Auditorium
AFTERNOON PROGRAM– 1:00pm-2:20pm
Block IV- High School Auditorium
THEME: HOLOCAUST EDUCATION; REPAIRING THE WORLD
1:05 pm:- Speaker: Producer Joe Fab, Paper Clips -“What One Person Can Do”
Mr. Fab has received wide acclaim for his work as producer, writer and co-director of the feature documentary “Paper Clips”.“Paper Clips” has been praised by critics and received numerous film festival awards, both from juries and audiences. It was named one of the top five documentaries of 2004 by the National Board of Review and received the Jewish Image Award in recognition of its promotion of cross cultural communication.
2pm: Survivor discussion to follow with q+a with students.
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Friday September 23, 2011
MORNING PROGRAM 9:30am-10:59am
9:30 am- Block II at Hudson Falls High School Auditorium
THEME: REMEMBERING THE SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR II
9:40 am- Introduction-Program begins-
National Anthem
Speaker: Robert Miller, author, Hidden Hell and Portraits of Service Upon returning home, too many veterans were met with indifference and did not receive continuing support, struggling to rebuild shattered lives to restore a sense of normalcy. Mr. Miller will discuss his fathers’ POW experience and his upcoming portrait book which focuses public attention on the living veterans of all wars who have experienced the horrors of war on behalf of our nation.
Hardcover version of “Hidden Hell” (formally “Finding My Father’s War”) which describes his father’s experiences as a POW in World War II. $20
Speaker: Survivor Micha Tomkiewicz (Poland; Brooklyn, New York)
Micha Tomkiewicz was born on May 25, 1939 in Warsaw Poland- three months before the German invasion that started WWII. The family lived together in the Warsaw Ghetto. Toward the end of 1942, he was moved to the Christian side of the city. After the Ghetto uprising and the destruction of the Ghetto, most of his family was transported to the Treblinka concentration camp. His father and two uncles jumped from the train; his father and uncle were shot and killed by the Germans, but one uncle survived and walked back to Warsaw. In June, 1943, Micha, his mother and the surviving uncle were transported to the Bergen Belsen concentration camp as part of a hostage program that was designed by the Germans. On April 13, 1945, the train transporting the hostages was intercepted near Magdeburg, Germany by a unit of the American 30th Division. Micha and his mother were transported to the Hillersleben Displaced Persons camp. After liberation, Micha was educated in Palestine, which in 1948 became the State of Israel. He is now Professor of Physics and Director of the Environmental Studies program at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
10:59 am– End of Morning Program
11:00am- 11:30am-Book Fair/Signings, Media interviews
11:30-1pm- Catered Luncheon, High School Library
11:35-1pm Film, Steal a Pencil for Me, featuring train survivors Ina and Jack Polak-Auditorium
AFTERNOON PROGRAM– 1:00pm-2:20pm Block IV- High School Auditorium
THEME: THEME: HOLOCAUST EDUCATION; REPAIRING THE WORLD
1:05pm Speaker, Helen Patton, Patton Stiftung Sustainable Trust
In 2004 Helen began drawing from the inspiration of her surroundings to reach out in a personal way for a more empathetic and compassionate world. She created The Patton Stiftung Sustainable Trust as a natural progression of the enduring peace which her grandfather George S. Patton Jr. helped restore to Europe in 1945. The Trust’s goal is to nurture constructive, sustainable culture in which difficulties can be worked out and dissonance celebrated.
2pm: Survivor discussion to follow with q+a with students.
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BOOKS FOR SALE: Rob Miller- Hardcover version of “Hidden Hell” (formally “Finding My Father’s War”) which describes his father’s experiences as a POW in World War II. $25
Fred Spiegel- Once the Acacias Bloomed- Memories of a Childhood Lost– “An extraordinary tale of one man’s indomitable drive to live, and to live in grace despite what happened to him.” $10
Teaching History Matters 