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Gerda Weissman KleinGerda Weissmann Klein Gerda Weissmann Klein, born in 1924, had a comfortable and happy childhood in Bielsko, a town in southern Poland until German soldiers invaded in September 1939. Within a few months, her brother Artur was taken away by the Germans, and the rest of the family was forced to live in the basement of their home; later they had to move to shabby ghetto quarters. In 1942, Gerda was separated from her parents and sent to forced-labor camps. Three years later, when her camp was evacuated, she and other prisoners were led on a death march that ended in the Czech town of Volary. Among the Americans who liberated the survivors was a Jewish lieutenant named Kurt Klein. Kurt visited Gerda frequently while she was convalescing at the field hospital that had been established in Volary. Gerda found out that her entire family had been killed, except for an uncle in Turkey. When Kurt Klein's tour of duty ended in September 1945, he asked Gerda to marry him, expecting that she would be able to follow him to the U.S. in short order. It would take nearly a year, however, before they could be reunited and married in Paris. Once Gerda settled in Buffalo, New York in 1946, she joined several charitable organizations and soon thereafter began to speak about her experiences during the Holocaust. She has lectured throughout the country and has written several books, including All But My Life, her autobiography, The Hours After, co-authored by her husband, and most recently, A Boring Evening At Home. One Survivor Remembers, a documentary about her experiences during the Holocaust, won an Academy Award in 1996. Another film that features her story is shown regularly at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS Sunday Morning and was featured on 60 Minutes and Nightline. Kurt Klein Kurt Klein was born in 1920 and raised in Walldorf, Germany. After Hitler came to power, the Kleins began to realize they did not have much future in Germany. His sister emigrated to the United States, and 17-year-old Kurt followed her in 1937. The next year they were joined in America by their brother. During the Kristallnacht attacks on German Jews, the Kleins' home was vandalized. Later Klein's parents were forced to move into a room over a stable, and in 1940 they were deported to a detention camp in France. The children tried to obtain visas that would enable their parents to join them in America, but they were hampered by bureaucratic red tape and a shortage of money. When they finally succeeded in obtaining the visas in 1942, their parents had already been deported to Eastern Europe. Kurt Klein was drafted in 1942, and served in the U.S. Army during the war as an intelligence officer. After the end of the war, he learned that his parents had died at Auschwitz. He married Gerda Weissmann in 1946, and brought her to live with him in Buffalo, New York, where he operated a printing business. Kurt Klein frequently travelled with his wife to lecture about their experiences during the war. He was also featured in the PBS series, America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference. Mr. Klein passed away in 2002. The Kurt and Gerda Klein Foundation Through their Foundation, Gerda and Kurt Klein have created the opportunity for young people to understand the world and translate that understanding into positive actions. The Foundation, which became operational in 1998, promotes tolerance for differences, respect for others and the empowerment of students through education and community service. Gerda, as a survivor of the Holocaust, and Kurt, as her liberator, have used their experiences as a catalyst for helping to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to draw on the lessons learned from that dark period of history. Our world today may be different from that which Gerda and Kurt faced as young adults; however, many of the same issues continue to confront us. All of us recognize the increasing violence in our schools, the lack of tolerance for diversity, and the loss of respect for personal differences. Many of us wonder how to make the world a more positive place for us and for our children. The Kleins help us answer this question through the telling of their story and the projects they have undertaken on behalf of others, particularly those which enable young people to feel empowered. Children care deeply about the future and often feel frustrated by school violence, intolerance, poverty and hunger. Through the example of the Kleins, young people can help to free the world of prejudice by assuming responsibility for its betterment today. The future of our communities rests in their hands. * Gerda Weissman and Kurt Klein's personal histories at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
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