NEW ORLEANS – To commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, The National WWII Museum will host a special remembrance and reflection with Holocaust survivor Martin Baranek, author of “Determined: A Memoir.” A book signing will immediately follow this program.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, January 27. The reception will begin at 5 p.m. and the presentation at 6 p.m. at the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center.
Martin Baranek, born in 1930 in Starachowice, Poland, spent much of his early life in the hands of the Nazis. He lived in the Wierzbnik Ghetto until 1942, when he was separated from his family. After 17 months in a labor camp, he was taken to Auschwitz, where, in January 1945, Martin was forced on a death march from Auschwitz to Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Later, Martin was forced on another death march to Gunskirchen, where he was liberated by the American 71st Infantry Division on May 4, 1945.
Subsequently, he went to Italy in June 1945 before joining Aliyah-Bet, the secret immigration to Palestine, traveling there on an illegal ship. After a forced stay in Cyprus, Martin landed in Palestine where he was placed in the Atlit Detention Camp. Martin fought in the 1948 War of Independence. In December 1948, he arrived in Canada and was reunited with his mother.
This event is free and open to the public, but please register to attend. The program will also be available through here via Livestream.
For more information or to register, call (504) 528-1944 and dial extension 229.
Sponsored by Taube Philanthropies, the event is part of the Taube Family Holocaust Education Program.
