It was with great surprise that an email and telephone call has led to this posting. On Wednesday, April 10, 2013, I was notified by Niko Wahl, curator of the Mauthausen Memorial, about 90 miles from Vienna, Austria, that a permanent display of “This Is Your Life, Hanna Bloch Kohner” would be opening along with the an entirely new exhibition at the memorial on Sunday, May 5.

 The museum, which was closed for many years, has been restructured and modernized to enable visitors to bear witness to the testimonies and artifacts from this infamous concentration camp. The result of the contact made by Mr. Wahl led to an invitation by the Austrian Ministry of Culture, for myself and my husband, Steve, to come to Mauthausen and take part in the ceremonial re-dedication of the memorial and museum.

 With more than one-thousand invited guests, including the Heads of State from Austria, Poland, and Hungary, Ministers from Israel and Russia, and American Ambassador to Austria, William Eacho, we had the opportunity to witness the dedication speeches, the introduction of 30 Mauthausen survivors, and ceremonial commemorations to be included in a time capsule that will remain in place at the memorial for at least 100 years.

 I was honored to see the promenant place that Hanna’s story has, just off the main museum entrence. Hanna’s display features an eight minute segment of the “This Is Your Life” episode. As I observed the many guests in attendance who came through the permanent exhibit, I had the opportunity to share Hanna’s story in more detail. This was the experience of a life-time, and the result of work we do at Voices of the Generations, that continues to be rewarding, fulfilling, and ever more important.

 This past Sunday, May 5, 2013, marked the 68th anniversary since the liberation of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Among those liberated that day in 1945 was my mother, Hanna Kohner, who miraculously survived four Nazi concentration camps including Auschwitz. Mauthausen was the last of the four camps she was held in, and along with the many  thousands of prisoners who passed through, was placed into forced labor in the winter of 1944. Though Mauthausen was not specifically set up for systematic murder, an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 perished under harsh conditions that included forced labor and starvation. My mother was fortunate to survive this dark period, and her story is one of inspiration and love concurring the evils and brutality that she encountered during the war years.

 As such, I was delighted to hear that Hanna’s story was about to become part of the Mauthausen Memorial. It is Austria’s largest memorial commemorating the darkest episode in this country’s history, from 1938 to 1945.

 The extensive site with its original buildings is a testimony to this time and became a site of remembrance in 1949. In 1970, a permanent exhibition was installed and remained in place until a restructuring in 2010.

After years of work, the Mauthausen Memorial was re-dedicated on May 5, 2013.

Julie Kohner has given several Voices of the Generations talks over the past few months, from Ventura to Palm Desert. Speaking to large groups of students and adults, Julie has made an impact on their lives with the importance of remembrance. Recent engagements have included:

Chaminade High School, West Hills, CA

Students in Marianne Rosen’s World History class had a unique opportunity to connect with the past when speaker Julie Kohner visited them in March.  Ms. Kohner, founder of “Voices of the Generations,” is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.  Her mother, Hanna Bloch Kohner, was imprisoned at a series of concentration camps during World War II, including the infamous Auschwitz camp.  Hanna and her husband, Walter Kohner, were separated during the war but never stopped loving each other.  Their struggles and ultimate reconnection after the war is a story of faith and courage, and is one of the few Holocaust stories with a happy ending.

As a Second Generation Survivor, Julie Kohner has struggled with the questions:  “Who will bear witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust in the future?  How will we teach children about this historical period without the immediacy of personal experience?”  Over the years, Kohner (who holds a Masters in Education) developed curriculum about the Holocaust and her parents in an effort to answer those questions.  Her program, “Voices of the Generations,” uses memorabilia and a unique video recording of her parents to help students feel connected to the past.

“One of our responsibilities as Chaminade instructors,” Rosen remarks, “is to help our students develop into thoughtful, knowledgeable people who will work to make the world a better place and promote justice.  The story we heard from Ms. Kohner was a story of moral and ethical courage–a message which resonated with all of my students.”

“Her passion for passing on her mother’s legacy was so inspiring to me,” said student Peter Dyer, ’15.  “It showed me that I would like to find my own passion and help others.”  Jack Moran, ’15 remarked that “I was so moved by her mother’s story and the way she was able to find happiness out of such terror.”

And from student Rylie Klotz, ’15:  “Because I am Jewish, it was very powerful for me to relate to my own heritage.”  Sam Miller, ’15, observed:  “My favorite part was seeing Ms. Kohner’s mother on the television program because you always think of victims of the Holocaust as sad.  Her mother was happy and seemed to have great faith in tomorrow.  That was extremely motivational.”

That message of hope and courage is timeless, and the Voices of the Generations program enabled Rosen’s students to feel the power of “Me” becoming “We.”

St. Bonaventure High School, Ventura, CA

St. Bonaventure High School recently welcomed Julie and VOG for four programs to their high school history department.

The Desert Tolerance Center, Palm Desert, CA

Julie spoke to the Sunshine Circle at the Desert Tolerance Center. Shaindy Friedman, who directs the Sunshine Circle says the program matches up teens and young adults with Holocaust Survivors.

Julie Kohner, founder of Voices of the Generations, presented the program to a warm and receptive Havurah from Congregation Or Chadash on October 21, 2012. The event was hosted at the home of Jim and Carole Kohner, following a wonderful brunch. Julie presented “This Is Your Life, Hanna Bloch Kohner”, and spoke of VOG’s mission to educate future generations through the unique and personal approach to Holocaust education.

In commemoration of Yom HaShoah, the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston co-sponsored several joint school programs for a presentation of “Voices of the Generations,” by Julie Kohner.

Congregations Beth Yeshurun and Emanu El’s fourth-to 12th-grade religious school students came together for the program at Emanu El on April 18. And, on April 19, Beren Academy and Torah Day School brought their fifth- to 12th-graders together for the presentation at Beren Academy.

“Voices of the Generations” is based on Hanna Kohner’s story of survival, to show that not all Holocaust stories had such tragic endings. Julie Kohner offers her mother’s story through a 1953 presentation of the old TV show, “This Is Your Life,” on which she appeared as the first Holocaust survivor to tell her story on national TV. She uses the clip to talk about her mother’s story and share her experiences growing up as a child of a survivor.

Julie Kohner has presented “Voices of the Generations” for the last 20 years. Her parents, Hanna and Walter, encouraged and prepared her to become their voice for future generations. They wrote an autobiography, “Hanna and Walter, A Love Story,” which traces their steps from the 1930s in Czechoslovakia to California after World War II. In addition, they took their daughter on a pilgrimage through Europe, stopping at many of the places described in their book. Julie Kohner teaches the Holocaust through its impact on one family, from the millions devastated by those events.

In recent years, “Voices of the Generations” has become a nonprofit charity and has been presented throughout the United States, to both secular and non-secular groups. Her programs have been sponsored by Jewish Federations and Community Centers in New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Houston and St. Louis. Julie Kohner has published curriculum to accompany “Hanna and Walter, A Love Story,” preparing other teachers to teach the Holocaust. “Voices of the Generations” is listed by the Los Angeles Unified School District, as approved for Holocaust education.

This program is one of many examples of the way Houston community schools work together in cooperation with the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston to bring quality programs to students.

The Wexner Center for the Arts, at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio recently hosted Julie Kohner and the UCLA Festival of Preservation for a showing of “This Is Your Life” on February 12, 2012.  The three episodes once again featured Holocaust survivor’s stories, and Julie as the guest speaker for an introductory talk about her mother, Hanna Bloch Kohner, one of three television show guests, and the first Holocaust survivor to have her story told to a national television audience.  A question & answer session followed the showing. A lovely book signing with coffee and dessert reception was hosted by the Wexner Center. Special thanks to Dave Filipi at the Wexner Center.

Voices of the Generations recently made a visit to Bishop Conaty Our Lady of Loretto Catholic School in Los Angeles on Feb. 10.  The visit was hosted by Lisa Gabriel and her 12th Grade Holocaust Studies Class. Julie Kohner made her VOG presentation to the class, who have been attending a Holocaust elective course since September 2011.  This full year course begins with a study of Judaism, followed by an understanding of the Zionist movement, and events of the early 20th century that eventually led to marginalization of the Jewish People in Europe, and the genocide that followed.  To show that not all Holocaust stories had such tragic endings, Julie presented her parents story through Hanna Kohner’s survival and presenting “This Is Your Life”.  The all-girls class were moved and inspired by the show, and by Julie’s telling of the background, and her time growing up as a child of a survivor.  The class members asked intelligent and thoughtful  questions. With help from the Los Angeles Archdiocese and your contributions, we can bring Voices of the Generations to as many as 50 high-schools in the near future.