The Moment She Lost Her Family Captured in a Photo

The scene is seared in Irene Weiss’s memory. One minute she was holding hands with her younger sister. The next, a Nazi officer separated them with his baton, and 11-year-old Edith was swallowed into a crowd, unknowingly bound for a gas chamber at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Decades later, Irene discovered the most painful moment of her life had been documented by a Nazi photographer. She saw her 13-year-old self, wearing a scarf and leaning forward, searching for Edith.

As the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Irene will share the story of the day her family was torn apart.

Speaker
Irene Weiss, Holocaust survivor and volunteer, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Host
Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Watch live at facebook.com/holocaustmuseum. You do not need a Facebook account to view their program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the USHMM's Facebook page.

There will be participatory commemorative activities featuring Holocaust survivors happening at USHMM throughout International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Reserve your ticket for January 27.