Holocaust survivors have volunteered at the Museum on a regular basis across the institution—engaging with visitors, sharing their personal histories, serving as tour guides, translating historic materials, and more, since the Museum opened. Their presence has been an invaluable asset, and their contributions vital to the Museum’s mission.
Learn about volunteering at the Museum.
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Frank Cohn
Born: August 2, 1925, Breslau, Germany (present day: Wrocław, Poland)Frank Cohn was born Franz Cohn on August 2, 1925, in Breslau, Germany (present day: Wrocław, Poland) to Martin Cohn and Ruth Potlitzer Cohn. An only child, Frank lived comfortably with his parents in German middle class society. Martin owned a successful sporting goods store. But the violent antisemitism of the Nazis impacted Frank’s family even before the Nazis came to power. In January 1927, a group of Nazis brutally beat Frank’s uncle Max Berdass who later died in June 1930 from his injuries.
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Isak Danon
Born: 1929, Split, YugoslaviaIsak was born in Split, a small town on the Adriatic coast of Yugoslavia with a prewar population of about 50,000 and a rather active Jewish life. Isak’s father owned a small dry goods store, and Isak helped run the family business along with his mother and three sisters.
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Susan Darvas
Born: April 24, 1934, Budapest, Hungary Died: February 28, 2020, Columbia, MDSusan Darvas was born Susan Lakatos on April 24, 1934 in Budapest, Hungary to an assimilated Jewish family. Her father, Mano, owned a pioneering dental laboratory in Budapest employing both Jews and gentiles. Susan’s mother, Margit, assisted Mano in his dental practice. Susan was very close to her two cousins, Magdi and Imre, and they were constant playmates.
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Louis de Groot
Born: June 28, 1929, Amersfoort, the Netherlands Died: September 29, 2020, Washington, DCLouis de Groot was born on June 28, 1929 in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. His father, Meijer, owned and operated a store which sold small electrical appliances in Arnhem. Sophia, his mother, assisted with the store. The family, which included Louis’ older sister Rachel, lived in an apartment above the store. Meijer was an avid amateur film maker, recording the family’s adventures to the park, the pool, and the ice skating rink on an 8mm video camera. They were a traditional Jewish family and attended synagogue on the high holidays. Both children were members of Jewish youth organizations.
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Isaac Dickmann
Born: November 11, 1919, Stryj, Poland Died: June 30, 2017, Bethesda, MDIsaac was raised by his widowed mother who received support from a nearby uncle and an aunt in New York.
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Marcel Drimer
Born: May 1, 1934, Drohobycz, PolandMarcel Drimer was born on May 1, 1934 in Drohobycz, Poland a small town now part of Ukraine. His father, Jacob, worked as an accountant in a lumber factory while his mother, Laura, raised Marcel and his younger sister, Irena.
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Maria Dworzecka
Born: June 19, 1941, Bialystok, Poland Died: January 16, 2023, Fairfax, VAMaria Dworzecka was born Marysia Rozenszajn on June 19, 1941, in Bialystok, Poland. Her parents, Izak Rozenszajn and Bela Kaufman Rozenszajn, had recently fled German-occupied Warsaw for Soviet-occupied Bialystok. Three days after Maria’s birth, German forces began their invasion of the Soviet Union. Izak was killed on June 23, 1941, during the first bombing of Bialystok.
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Erika Neuman Eckstut
Born: June 12, 1928, Znojmo, Czechoslovakia Died: July 2, 2017, Fort Lee, New JerseyErika (Neuman) Eckstut was born in Znojmo, Czechoslovakia, on June 12, 1928, the younger of two girls. Her father, Ephram Neuman, was a respected attorney and an ardent Zionist who hoped to immigrate to Palestine with his family. Her mother, Dolly (Geller) Neuman, held a degree in business and worked in a bank before the birth of her children.
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Ruth Elenberg Eisenberg
Born: April 15, 1935, Skalat, Eastern GaliciaRuth Elenberg Eisenberg was born Rachel Sygal Epstein on April 15, 1935 in Skalat, a town in Eastern Galicia (now Ukraine). Her father Hersch owned a tannery, and her mother Fayga was a homemaker. Ruth was the youngest of six children. Skalat was home to a large, mostly orthodox Jewish population. Ruth eagerly anticipated Shabbat each week, a day she celebrated with family.
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Frank Ephraim
Born: February 19, 1931, Berlin, Germany Died: August 27, 2006Frank’s father was an inventor, holding several patents in the radio field until the crash of 1929. Frank’s mother worked as a secretary for a Berlin business firm. In February 1939, soon after Kristallnacht, the family emigrated to the Philippines.
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