Holocaust Survivor's Daughter Keeps Legacy Alive Through Testimony

Julie Kohner, daughter of Holocaust survivors Hanna and Walter Kohner, shared their powerful story at the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. For 36 years, Kohner has traveled the country through her non-profit organization, Voices of the Generations, keeping the memories of Holocaust survivors alive for future generations.

Kohner's parents met as teenagers in Czechoslovakia, eight miles from the German border, and fell in love at 15 and 20 years old, respectively. However, their plans to spend their lives together were cruelly shattered by the Nazi regime.

Walter secured a visa to immigrate to the United States, while Hanna remained in Europe and eventually moved to Amsterdam, where she married Carl Benjamin just weeks after their wedding. The couple's happiness was short-lived, as they were sent to four concentration camps: Westerbork, Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Mauthausen.

Hanna survived Auschwitz but lost her husband Carl in the camp. She was eventually liberated by American soldiers at Mauthausen, where she was reunited with Walter after years apart. The couple moved to the United States, built a life together, and co-authored a book documenting their relationship and survival in the 1980s.

Kohner continues sharing her parents' story to ensure that the six million Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust are never forgotten. She emphasizes the importance of remembering the past to combat hatred, bigotry, and antisemitism.