Holocaust Remembrance Day: 93-year-old survivor tells her story in Farmington Hills

When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Rae Nachbar was seven years old. While she and her family packed up and relocated from Poland to Russia, where she stayed in a penal camp, her sister was taken to Auschwitz.

(FOX 2) Farmington Hills, Mich.On Monday, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor spoke in Farmington Hills.

The backstory

When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Rae Nachbar was seven years old. While she and her family packed up and relocated from Poland to Russia, where she stayed in a penal camp, her sister was taken to Auschwitz.

Along the way, her parents were killed.

Rae came to the United States in 1948.

Local viewpoint:

Rae discussed her experience at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills on Monday, over 80 years later.

“I don t think that anyone anticipated how the Germans were going to end up,” she continued. “I overheard adults conversing, and they seemed worried. Politics was not as clear to me back then as it is now.

The CEO of the ZeKelman Holocaust Center, Eli Mayerfeld, spoke about the day that Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz. It also serves as a reminder to never forget the Holocaust.

“Auschwitz is the place where 1 million Jews were murdered and about 100,000 enemies of the Nazis were murdered as well,” he stated.

Next steps:

In addition to listening to Rae’s viewpoint, Congresswoman Haley Stevens is launching a bill on Monday that would require Holocaust education in schools that get government funding.

“It s really quite remarkable, bipartisan legislation that will include a requirement for this type of learning,” she stated. “So whether you have a Ziegelman in your community, and again the history of this center is so important.”

Rae is pleased to teach Holocaust education, but she is disappointed that some individuals continue to reject the Holocaust’s existence.

She remarked, “They’re stupid,” “That is the most important thing. Additionally, they are not only naive; they are also malicious, as there is ample evidence that it did occur.

The Source: Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Holocaust survivor Rae Nachbar were interviewed by FOX 2.