Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a Holocaust survivor and author, spoke about her experiences in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and the lessons learned from the Holocaust on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at Temple Beth-El in Ithaca. The talk was free and open to the public.
Lazan was 9 years old when her family was transported to Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp in Germany, in 1944. Her memoir's title, Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story, refers to her belief while imprisoned that if she could find four pebbles of nearly the same size and shape, then all four members of her family would survive. Though her father died of typhus after they were released from the camp in 1945, Marion, her mother, and brother moved to Holland, and a few years later emigrated to New York.
A speaker in schools and communities throughout the country, Lazan stresses the ideas of perseverance, determination, faith and hope in her message, which is appropriate for children in sixth grade to adults. After her talk, Lazan was available for a book-signing during a reception for the audience.
The event was very well attended and marked the first Yom HaShoah commemoration of IAUJC.
