Holocaust Hidden Child Survivor Speaks to Holocaust Studies Class

On Monday, Ms. Elise Erblat's Holocaust Studies class gathered in Cohen Auditorium to listen to a special guest speak about his time as a hidden child survivor of the Holocaust. Max Amichai Heppner, 91, and his family were living in Berlin, Germany when they fled to the Netherlands in 1933 as Hitler came to power. When WWII began, the Netherlands fell to the Nazis and he and his family were hidden in a chicken coop throughout the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. There were various attempts to smuggle his family to France, but even the "people smugglers" killed innocent Jews. 

The students have been learning about the "Hidden Children" during class and have heard a variety of stories about people being sent to convents and monasteries; others were taken in by families hidden in plain sight.  

Thanks to Mr. Heppner and the Morse Life-Holocaust Learning Experience, the students had the opportunity to hear from a survivor about all that he went through and witnessed as a young child during WWII. He said that telling his story is important in order to make sure that the Holocaust is something that will be remembered and that he hopes that the younger generations to carry on these important stories.