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Commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day with a Zoom presentation by Holocaust Survivor and U.S. Navy Veteran Steve Hess.
Holocaust Survivor and U.S. Navy Veteran Steve Hess will discuss his family’s terrifying ride on “The Last Transport,” a thirteen-day train ride from the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp deep into east Germany ahead of the advancing Allies. Nearly six hundred of the 2,500 prisoners died on the train or in the weeks following their liberation by Soviet soldiers.
Join us at the Collierville Library at 10:30 on Saturday, January 24 to hear Steve tell his family’s horrifying yet inspiring story.
Born in the Netherlands to German Jewish refugees, Steve and his twin sister Marion were two years old when Nazi Germany invaded Holland on May 10, 1940. Arrested in July 1943, the Hess family was first transported to the Westerbork Transit Camp in Holland and then to the infamous Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany.
After WWII Steve and his family emigrated to the U.S., sailing under the Statue of Liberty on January 1, 1947. He learned English, became an Eagle Scout, graduated from Columbia with a degree in History, and served four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. He left the Navy as a Lieutenant and went to work first for the New York Times and then for Western Electric. He went on to a successful career managing and owning a photographic equipment company in Rochester, NY.
He now lives in Rochester with his wife, Dr. Sarah Atkinson, founder of Finger Lakes Clinical Research. He has lectured frequently on the Holocaust throughout the Rochester school systems, at upstate NY colleges and universities, and at the National WWII Museum. He has served on the Rochester Boards of PBS, the area Humane Society and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Library adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act that assures equal access to all library facilities, activities, and programs. Every attempt will be made to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities, and the Library welcomes input from persons with disabilities about ways the Library can serve them. Questions about ADA compliance should be addressed to the Library Director.
To request ADA accommodation, please complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. Copies are available at the Information Desk and can be found on our website in the "Services" tab.
Disclaimers Related to Library Programs:
Endorsements: The Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch Jr. Library participates in cooperative programs with other organizations, educational institutions, businesses, and individuals. Library sponsorship of a program does not constitute an endorsement of the content of the program, views expressed at the program, or the program presenter or performer.
Food Allergies: Items used at this event may contain allergens including but not limited to nuts, gluten, and soy. Accordingly, the Library will not be liable for such harm to any individual resulting from such allergens. If it is a concern, please ask about allergens before attending the event.
Photo/Video: The Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored or hosted by the library without the expressed permission of those included within the photograph/video. Photographs/videos may be used in publications, brochures, postcards, posters, newspapers, social media, television, websites, etc., for the purposes of event promotion.
Hold Harmless: The Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library shall not be liable for any injuries, damages, or losses incurred by attendees during library events. Attendees expressly agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless the Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr Library and its representatives from any claims arising from participation in the event.
The Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library serves the Town of Collierville as an information hub offering materials and programming for all ages, three 4-person study rooms, and a 40-person meeting room. It sits in a beautiful location in Halle Park near Collierville Town Hall.