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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Theodora (Dora) Klayman
Born: January 31, 1938, Zagreb, YugoslaviaTheodora (Dora) Klayman was born Teodora Rahela Basch in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, on January 31, 1938. Her father, Salamon, owned and operated a small brush manufacturing plant. Her mother, Silva, a teacher, grew up in Ludbreg, a small town in northwest Croatia, where her father, Josef Leopold Deutsch, served as the community rabbi for more than 40 years.
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Ruth Arnoldi Kohn
Born: August 23, 1927, Preussisch Friedland, Germany (now Debrzno, Poland) Died: November 19, 2022, Springfield, VARuth Kohn was born Ruth Arnoldi into an observant Orthodox family in Preussisch Friedland, Germany (now Debrzno, Poland) on August 23, 1927. Her father, Moses, was a butcher and a veteran of the First World War. Her mother, Margaritha, stayed home to care for Ruth and her older brother Lothar. Ruth’s oldest brother Ernst was institutionalized for epilepsy at a young age.
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Maryla Orgel Korn
Born: June 10, 1938, Kraków, PolandMaryla Korn was born Maryla Orgel on June 10, 1938, in Kraków, Poland, to Szymon Orgel and Felicia Muntz. Szymon was from a family of land and mill owners in Kolbuszowa, in southeastern Poland. Felicia came from an Orthodox family who owned shops in the main square of Kraków. They married in 1935 and soon settled in Kraków. Szymon often traveled to Kolbuszowa to help his family run their mills, while Felicia cared for Maryla.
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Lisa Kraft
Born: April 24, 1938, Trieste, ItalyLisa Kraft was born Elisabeta Ernestina Renata Rosenthal on April 24, 1938 in Trieste, Italy. Her father, Nandor Rosenthal, worked at a Hungarian-Jewish owned asbestos company. The company closed due to rising antisemitism in 1937, and the family opened a coffee house. Lisa’s mother, Trude Pollak Rosenthal was born in Austria. Trude baked and made gelato for the café, while taking care of her daughters, Lisa and Eva, who was a year older than Lisa. Lisa and her family often saw Trude’s sister Gretl and Gretl’s three children who lived nearby. Lisa’s paternal grandparents lived in Miskolc, Hungary, where Nandor was born. They sent dolls to Lisa and Eva and wrote to Lisa’s parents about the plight of the Jewish community in Miskolc.
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Estelle Wakszlak Laughlin
Born: July 9, 1929, Warsaw, PolandEstelle Wakszlak Laughlin was born in Warsaw, Poland, on July 9, 1929 to Michla and Samek Wakszlak. Estelle also had an older sister, Freda, who was born in January 1928. Michla tended to the home and children while Samek ran a jewelry shop. Estelle and Freda attended the local public school.
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Herbert Launer
Born: March 28, 1925, Vienna, Austria Died: October 1, 2006Herbert Launer was born the only child in a middle class Jewish family. Herbert’s father was a fur dealer and a highly decorated soldier of the Austrian army during World War I.
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Louise Lawrence-Israëls
Born: July 1942, Haarlem, the NetherlandsLouise Israëls was born in July 1942 in Haarlem in the German-occupied Netherlands. German forces had invaded and occupied the Netherlands in May 1940. At the time of Louise’s birth, Jews in the Netherlands were subjected to a variety of German-imposed antisemitic laws and restrictions. Jews had to wear yellow star badges on their clothing. The Nazis also confiscated Jewish-owned property, including Louises’s family’s textile business.
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Gerald Liebenau
Born: November 30, 1925, Berlin, Germany Died: February 27, 2020, Arlington, VAGerald was born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father worked in the textile business. Gerald was the eldest of two children; he had a younger sister. He attended public school until 1936, when he and other Jewish children were forced to leave public schools.
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Frank Liebermann
Born: January 19, 1929, Gleiwitz, Germany (now Gliwice Poland) Died: October 7, 2022, Washington, DCFrank Liebermann was born in 1929 to Dr. Hans and Lotte Liebermann in Gleiwitz, Germany (now Gliwice, Poland). At the time, Gleiwitz was an industrial city in Upper Silesia–a historically contested region that was then along the German-Polish border. Frank was an only child. Hans was a prominent surgeon in the city and the family lived a comfortable middle-class existence. The families of both of Frank’s parents had lived in the area for several generations.
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Catherine Liner
Born: March 3, 1925, Smolnik, Czechoslovakia Died: August 29, 2014, Chevy Chase, MarylandWhile still a child, Catherine moved with her parents and brother to Sighet, Romania. In 1944, Catherine’s father was arrested and taken to a concentration camp.
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