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.

Page 12 of 12

  • Martin “Marty” Weiss

    Martin “Marty” Weiss

    Born: January 28, 1929, VEĽKÁ POĽANA, Czechoslovakia Died: June 30, 2023, Rockville, MD

    Martin “Marty” Weiss was born Meier Weiss on January 28, 1929 in Veľká Poľana, Czechoslovakia to Jacob and Golda Weiss. Jacob was a subsistence farmer and a meat distributor, and Golda managed their orthodox Jewish household and raised their nine children (Mendl, Issac, Ellen, Cilia, Moshe, Hannah, Marty, Esther, and Monica). Czechoslovakia had become an independent democracy after World War I, and the Weiss family were proud citizens of the newly-formed nation.

    Learn More
  • Jacob G. Wiener

    Jacob G. Wiener

    Born: March 25, 1917, Bremen, Germany Died: February 15, 2011, New York, NY

    Koppel Gerd Zwienicki (later Rabbi Jacob Wiener) was born in Bremen, Germany, on March 25, 1917 to Josef and Selma Zwienicki. He was the eldest of four children. Josef ran a bicycle sales and repair shop and Selma worked as a kindergarten teacher and a bookkeeper for a large firm. As a child, Koppel, who went by “Gerd,” experienced the economic depression that followed World War I. He also witnessed the violent street fights between the Nazis and their political opponents, the Communists and Socialists.

    Learn More
  • Norbert Yasharoff

    Norbert Yasharoff

    Born: February 18, 1930, Sofia, Bulgaria Died: January 19, 2013, Rockville, Maryland

    Norbert was born to a Jewish family in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. His father, a prominent lawyer, was also active in the Jewish community. Sofia was home to approximately half of Bulgaria’s estimated 50,000 Jews during the mid-1930s.

    Learn More
  • Ellen Zweig

    Ellen Zweig

    Born: May 18, 1929, Regensburg, Germany Died: June 26, 2021, Silver Spring, MD

    Ellen Zweig was born on May 18, 1929 in Regensburg, Germany to Julius and Rose Seligman. Ellen’s mother had grown up there and her parents, Leo and Marie Hirschfeld, owned a chain of department stores. After Ellen’s parents were married in 1928, her father opened one of the stores in the suburbs of Regensburg. A second daughter, named Margit, was born on February 18, 1933.

    Learn More

Page 12 of 12