From Reading District Libraries
The Reading District Libraries’ Dignity, Opportunity, and Respect (DOR) Committee invites community members to a meaningful evening of reflection and learning at an upcoming Holocaust Memorial Program on Monday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m., at Exeter Community Library, 4569 Prestwick Dr., Reading.
The program will feature local presenter Jeff Gernsheimer, who will share the story of his late mother, Hilde, a Holocaust survivor who escaped Nazi Germany as a child through the Kindertransport — an organized rescue effort that brought thousands of Jewish children to safety in Great Britain prior to World War II.
Designed for adults and families with children ages 10 and up, this program offers an opportunity for intergenerational learning and conversation. Through personal storytelling, attendees will explore themes of resilience, courage, and the importance of remembering history.
This program creates space for families to come together and engage with history in a meaningful, human way. By sharing personal stories like Hilde’s, we help ensure that these experiences are not forgotten and continue to resonate with future generations.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged at events.getlocalhop.com/holocaust-memorial-program-with-jeff-gernsheimer/event/t68y3F1uUB.
This program is hosted by the Exeter Community Library and supported by the Reading District Libraries’ Dignity, Opportunity, and Respect (DOR) Committee in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks.
For those interested in further exploration, several related titles are available through the libraries’ digital collection, Libby, including Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullo, We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport by Deborah Hopkinson, and I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (graphic novel) by Lauren Tarshis and Álvaro Sarraseca.
