As we close, reflect on how the knowledge you have gained and the testimony you have watched have helped you understand the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over adversity.
Now, hear from Holocaust survivor Clara Isaacman, Naomi Adler, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, and from liberator Leon Bass.
About the Interviewees
Clara Isaacman (née Heller), daughter of Shalom and Rosa, was born in Borsa, Romania. As a result of antisemitism, when Clara was about four years old, her family immigrated to Antwerp, Belgium. Clara had two brothers and one sister. After the German occupation of Belgium, her brother Herz was deported to the Auschwitz camp complex in Nazi-occupied Poland. The rest of Clara’s family went into hiding; her father was caught and murdered. For two and a half years, Clara, her mother, sister, and brother hid in 18 different locations throughout Belgium. They were liberated by the British Armed Forces in September 1944. After liberation, Clara met and married Daniel Isaacman, a U.S. soldier whose unit was stationed in Antwerp. Clara immigrated to the United States in 1946, and she and Daniel adopted a son, Yonathan. The interview was conducted on January 10, 1997, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Naomi Adler, daughter of Samuel and Carol, was born on July 5, 1966, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Rochester, New York. Her father was born in Germany, and along with his parents, immigrated to America after Kristallnacht. As a student at Mt. Holyoke College, Naomi experienced antisemitism when one of her teachers refused to reschedule an exam scheduled on Yom Kippur. Naomi and her husband, Brian Beal, have three sons. Naomi became the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia in May 2014. This interview occurred on March 9, 2017, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Leon Bass, son of Henry and Nancy, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 23, 1925. Leon had four brothers and one sister. In September 1943, Leon volunteered for the U.S. Army. Leon served in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion; as a black soldier in a segregated unit he was treated like a second-class citizen. In April 1945, Leon’s unit helped with relief efforts at Buchenwald, a concentration camp in Germany. After the war, Leon enrolled at West Chester State Teachers College, where he again faced discrimination. After graduating from West Chester State College, he enrolled at Temple University, where he received a doctorate. Leon became a teacher and a principal. He married Mary Sullivan in 1948, and the couple had two children and three grandchildren. This interview took place on August 12, 1998, in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Leon passed away on March 28, 2015. He was 90 years old.