Witness a moving clip of a Holocaust survivor's testimony at Auschwitz and hear students share the profound impact of their visits to Poland and the camps. Discover a session that goes beyond the past, cultivating empathy and understanding, empowering students for a future anchored in the strength of remembrance.

The session is focused on my late father Alex Berkowits and his personal journey and fortunate survival of several concentration/labour camps. He eluded numerous death marches and stood alongside of his brothers and father as they were relocated and ultimately separated from each other. My father arrived in Birkenau sometime in April of 1944. This is where he avoided his first death march. He was at Birkenau for no more than two days before walking 3.5 kms to Auschwitz. After eluding a second death march, my father was transferred to the Janina Coal Mines, followed by Monowitz-Buna and then to Gliwice, avoiding yet another death camp march. My father’s last stop was Buchenwald where he was liberated on April 11, 1945, along with 21,000 other prisoners of war. Tragically, both of his parents along with his sister were murdered. He was ultimately reunited with his three brothers and went on to marry a beautiful Canadian girl (Sandra Goffman) from Saskatoon.

Isabel Vincent will present highlights from her research into Ida and Louise Cook, English sisters who became opera fans in the 1920s and 1930s, and befriended some of the biggest stars of the day. Among them was Clemens Krauss, Hitler's favorite conductor, who asked them to help him save Jewish musicians. Using slides and excerpts from her book, "Overture of Hope," Vincent tells the story of these ordinary extraordinary heroines.

Isabel Vincent’s participation at Limmud Winnipeg Fest was made possible thanks to a partnership between Limmud North America and The Jewish Book Council