The above video is from April 2021.
Following Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family — father, mother, Marion, and her brother, Albert — were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a half years the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps that included Westerbork in Holland and the notorious Bergen-Belsen in Germany. Though they all survived the camps, Walter Blumenthal, Marion’s father, succumbed to typhus just after liberation.
It took three more years of struggle and waiting before Marion, Albert, and their mother at last obtained the necessary papers and boarded ship for the United States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage, hope, and the will to survive.
“Personal memoirs have no equal in their weight of truth and memory – yours have educated so many. May you continue to tell and retell your story for years and years.”
– Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate
“I am (also) deeply grateful for your participation in the Shoah Foundation’s project. Your dedication to Holocaust awareness is incredibly important and is so meaningful to ensure that future generations will be able to learn about the Holocaust from those who survived.” – Steven Spielberg
“Your work in our schools is deeply appreciated. May God bless you for your kindness.” – John Cardinal O’Connor (of blessed memory), Archbishop of New York