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Children of Holocaust survivors preserve their families’ stories
By Sarah Zientarski, One Detroit Contributor This is part two of a two-part series. Part one is about Holocaust survivor and author Irene Miller’s story. Children of Holocaust survivors are learning tools to share their parents’ stories, helping to carry on their legacies. Earlier this year, descendants of Holocaust survivors attended a storytelling workshop at The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills led by writer and performer David Labi. Labi, whose father was a Holocaust survivor, created the session to help children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors refine how they share their families’ stories. “I felt like this was a good opportunity to work with people on the stories they tell themselves about their parents and grandparents,” Labi said. “Looking at different ways they can approach the stories of their ancestors.” Participants included Gail Offen and Jeffrey Cymerint. Both are members of the Holocaust Center’s Next Generation Speakers Program and share their fathers’ stories of survival during public talks. Offen said she signed up for the workshop immediately after learning about it. “Everybody’s stories can get better,” she said. “How do you connect with people in your audience? You need to have your story resonate with them.” Offen explained her father and uncle were imprisoned in a labor camp where prisoners were forced to carry large, heavy rocks up 186 steps throughout the day. “If you didn’t run, the guards would shoot at you,” she said. Offen said her father began sharing his story publicly at age 60, encouraged by The Zekelman Holocaust Center’s founder Rabbi Charles Rosenzveig. Cymerint also speaks on behalf of his late father. He said the workshop reinforced the importance of keeping audiences engaged. “That’s the biggest thing I got from the workshop is how to make it compelling and keep the audience’s attention,” Cymerint said. Approximately 4,000 Holocaust survivors settled in Michigan after World War II. Today, more than 400 survivors still live in the state, and programs like the Next Generation Speakers initiative aim to ensure their stories remain part of Michigan’s historical record. Offen and Cymerint sat down with One Detroit contributor Sarah Zientarski and explained how their families ended up in Michigan as a part of our ongoing Destination Detroit series, which explores the region’s rich history and the people who helped shape it.
