WARSAW — Excerpts of Holocaust survivor Irene Miller's presentation earlier this week will be featured on In The Know, the public affairs show that airs on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.

Miller spoke for nearly 90 minutes at the Warsaw High School Performing Arts Center ib Tuesday, and the use of a recording from the event was approved despite some previous restrictions.

In the presentation, which included a lengthy Q&A session, Miller talked about her family's struggles as they left Poland and eventually ended up in a work camp.

Her talk also focuses on how she emigrated to the United States, wrote a memoir and began speaking about her life story.

She continues to seek speaking engagements and has a special interest in sharing her message with students.

You can learn more about Miller and her book by clicking here.

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Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 a.m. 

Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.

WRSW (107.3):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

Willie (103.5 FM):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

The post Highlights of Holocaust survivor’s speech featured on this weekend’s public affairs show appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Nearly 400 people attended Tuesday's speech by Holocaust survivor Irene Miller, and one of those was 103-year-old World War II veteran Charlie Garner.

Miller, a 94-year old Jewish woman who now lives in Michigan, stood and spoke for nearly 90 minutes without notes as she told of how she and her family escaped the horrors of the Holocaust which led to starvation, months of living in a frozen field, and her stay in a Siberian labor camp.

Garner, a U.S. Army veteran had a seat up front at the Performing Arts Center r the and was part of a rapt audience that listened to Miller's experiences as a child who survived the Nazi atrocities and emigrated to the United States at the age of 21. 

News Now Warsaw caught up with Garner afterward and asked about his impressions of the speech.

“Oh, it was great, yeah,” he said. “She understands what's going on, and that's the important thing.”

Garner was part of the invasion of Omaha Beach and also fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Later, his unit left Europe and was was sent to Japan.

He later grew to understand a distant, fleeting connection to the death camps.

“The only thing we did find out was that there was an odor that we didn't understand and that was the odor of death,” Garner said. "I don't know how close we were — I had no idea because I was driving the Jeep.”

Garner had a chance later on Tuesday after the speech to talk with Miller and purchased a copy of her memoir, Into No Man's Land.

He also offered his thoughts on the rise of antisemitism, which Miller addressed during here presentation.

“I know this Semitic thing is out of hand. People are not understanding the oral history,” he said.

The event was part of an exhibition at the Warsaw Community Public Library.

Adult Services Director Jacob Schreiner offered a quick critique. 

“The personal story of her really put a humanizing face on a very massive event,” Schreiner said. “I was just thrilled that so many people from the community showed up to experience a really awesome opportunity.”

You can learn more about events related to the exhibit at the library website.

[caption id="attachment_132852" align="aligncenter" width="341"] Another guided tour of the Holocaust exhibit at the Warsaw Community Public Library is today beginning at 3:30 p.m.[/caption]

The post 103-year-old WW II veteran reflects after hearing speech by Holocaust survivor appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — A large crowd turned out Tuesday night to hear Holocaust survivor Irene Miller's haunting experiences and words of warning during a 90-minute discussion at the Performing Arts Center in Warsaw. 

Speaking without notes, the 94-year-old provided a first-hand account of her survival in Siberian labor camps and her ongoing efforts to bring clarity to issues surrounding the World War II atrocities that led to the deaths of millions of Jews.

She said extreme hunger was the worst part of her experience.

Her extended family in Poland included nearly 100 people.

"Not a single one — not a single one of them survived. They were all killed during the Holocaust,” she told the crowd.

She warned that people today need to consider the circumstances that led to the killing of millions of Jewish people. Educating young people, she said, is key.

“They have to learn and recognize signs that lead to a fascist totalitarian system. Prevent people from knowing what is happening.  Describing the free press as the enemy of the people. Not only preventing people from knowing what's happening, but feeding them lies and misinformation," Miller said.

Miller spoke for nearly 90 minutes and took questions at the end.

She was asked about the apparent rise of anti-Semitism in the US and elsewhere.

"Sadly, it is,” she said. “And it is very painful for me to see this anti-Semitism that I have not experienced for years. I have come to the United States when I was 21 years old, and this is my adopted country, which I am grateful to call my country, but it hurts me so much that what goes on right now is so ugly. So much hate is being spread. "

She also touched on the history of book burning.

“When I hear of a governmental entity that decides what kind of books can be kept in a library, I have the deja vu of what happened in Germany, of burning books,” she said.

Miller lives in Michigan, and many of her presentations are directed toward young people.

“It is not enough for them to know what happened. They have to learn and recognize signs that lead to a fascist totalitarian system," she said.

She eventually wrote her memoir, Into No Man's Land, which then led to ongoing speaking engagements

Miller greeted visitors afterward, during which sales of the book were available.

Miller's speech was part of an ongoing Holocaust exhibit at the Warsaw Community Public Library that continues for several weeks. 

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