Heroes of a Hidden Child: One Survivor's Story of Gratitude with Commissioner Lucy Katz

Lucy Katz relates her history as a Hidden Child during the Holocaust by highlighting the courage of the individuals who worked to save her. In discussing the risks and sacrifices made by those in Lucy’s life, she asks us to consider what qualities transform ordinary people into heroes and invites us to reflect on finding those qualities in ourselves. Join Lucy as she shares her survival story, one that is intertwined with the stories of brave individuals who risked their lives to save a child, and discover the potential for strength and hope during times of unimaginable challenge.

As a high school student in Philadelphia, Lucy Taus Katz became a voice for the six million individual Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. When Lucy’s English teacher encouraged her to enter an essay competition entitled “Why I Am Proud to Be an American,” she wrote about her experience as a Hidden Child during the Nazi occupation in Poland. Since that time, Lucy has been speaking throughout the country at middle schools, high schools, universities, and military bases. Her mission is to educate students, their parents, and the greater community about the Holocaust and genocide. She strives to inspire everyone with a sense of responsibility to uphold human value and to prevent future atrocities.

Although busy with a career in home building and remodeling, in years past Lucy has chaired numerous Yom HaShoah programs, bringing the Jewish and non-Jewish communities together. She is a founding member of the Descendants of Holocaust Survivors in Central Texas, lifetime director of the Texas Association of Homebuilders and the National Association of Homebuilders, and past president of both the National Association of Remodelers Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Lucy attended Temple University in Philadelphia. She resides in Austin, Texas.