Join us as our guest speaker Ruth Steinfeld, shares her heart wrenching yet heroic story. Every sabbath, Alfred Krell, clad in long coat and black hat, proudly strolled to synagogue with his daughters, Lea and Ruth, on his arms. The sisters describe the early years of their childhood in Sinsheim, Germany as “wonderful.” Alfred, who owned a gourmet import business and served as the synagogue’s caretaker, provided them with a comfortable home, and his wife Anna created a warm and loving atmosphere. Lea was born in 1932 and Ruth followed a year later, about the same time Hitler came to power. Their early years, though comfortable and secure, were colored by growing antisemitic persecution. In 1940, the Krell family was deported to the internment camp of Gurs in the French Pyrenees. Alfred was separated from Anna and his daughters, who spent the next several months languishing in the drafty barracks of the immense camp. They slept on straw and subsisted on watery soup, “but it was still okay,” recalls Lea, “because our mother was still with us and it wasn’t like we were by ourselves.” Alfred and Anna (who had found a way to communicate with each other in the camp) made the wrenching decision to entrust their girls to an organization called the Oeuvres de Secours aux Enfants (OSE), which promised to shelter them. Lea and Ruth were never to see their parents again. The rescuers came disguised as Red Cross workers and took the two children out. They lived first in a group home and later with a kind foster family in a small farming community. Posing as Catholics and with new names, Lea and Ruth were safe only until the villagers began to suspect their true identities. Then the OSE moved them to another orphanage and then another .... Ruth and Lea managed to escape Gurs only because their parents loved them enough to give them up and entrust their lives to others (strangers) who were willing to put their lives at risk to help. Ruth's story is one of pain, suffering, courage, love and forgiveness while ensuring that history is never forgotten. Tickets are $10. Students are Free All Donations Greatly Appreciated!! Light refreshments will be provided by the museum.
Thursday Nov 1, 2018
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
November 1, 2018 at 5:30 pm (Meet & Greet with presenter), 6:00 pm (presentation)
Clement Railroad Hotel Museum - Hotel Halbrook State Historic Site 100 Frank Clement Place Dickson, TN 37055
$10.00 per person at the door Students are free
(615) 446-0500
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