At Ulpana, Dr. Carson Phillips, Managing Director of the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre at UJA, introduce the students to Ms. Hannah Lessing. Ms. Lessing is the Secretary General of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria and the General Settlement Fund for Victims of National Socialism, as well as the Fund for the Restoration of the Jewish Cemeteries in Austria. She spoke to the girls about the Holocaust in Austria and the experience of a Jew in Austria after the war. She spoke about her grandmother who perished in Auschwitz and how her father, a survivor, inspired her to force the Austrian people to acknowledge their troubled history and make amends through reparations to the survivors. She also discussed the exhaustive efforts of her organization in returning stolen artwork to the families from which it was stolen (an effort made famous by the recent film, “Woman in Gold.”) Students were fascinated by Ms. Lessing’s work and were inspired when she pushed them to continue to fight for “Never Again.” Thank you to Ms. Rachel Libman (‘00) and the Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre for this amazingly educational event.
