Holocaust & Humanity Center

10/15/2026

What happens when teams learn to turn their strengths into action?

Our Upstander Training & Programs help organizations build stronger, more courageous teams by combining the stories of local Holocaust survivors with the science of VIA Institute on Character.

Here's what participants take away:
⭐ Build Community: Develop a shared language of character strengths and increase personal awareness.
⭐ Develop Leadership: Learn to lead with authenticity and integrity while making ethical decisions.
⭐ Overcome Barriers: Gain strategies to overcome fear, bias, and social pressure when confronting injustice.
⭐ Inspire Action: Draw inspiration from historical upstanders to motivate courageous action today.

Whether you're a corporate team, nonprofit, government agency, law enforcement department, or school, these trainings and programs can help your organization bring these values to life.

Learn more about bringing upstander training to your organization: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/upstander/trainings-and-offerings/

10/15/2026

Werner Coppel was born in Moers, Germany. Seven months after he celebrated his bar mitzvah, Kristallnacht swept across the country. His synagogue was not destroyed that night, but Kristallnacht was a warning of what was to come.

As N**i persecution intensified, Werner was forced out of school as a teenager. In 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Auschwitz. Two years later, he survived a death march, escaped, and was liberated by Soviet troops.

Despite unimaginable loss, Werner chose to rebuild his life with hope and purpose. In 1949, he immigrated to Cincinnati, where he became the city's first Holocaust survivor to publicly share his testimony. For decades, he dedicated his life to Holocaust education, helping future generations understand the consequences of hatred and the responsibility we all share to stand up for others.

Werner's story is a powerful reminder that hope can endure. By preserving and sharing survivor testimony, we honor those who lived through the Holocaust and help ensure their stories, and their lessons, are never forgotten.

On Sunday, November 8, his son Steve Coppel will share his father's story at our annual Kristallnacht Commemoration.

Register today: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/events/kristallnacht-commemoration-2/

10/13/2026

"I was so taken by the goodness of Otto Frank. The thing I remember most about him is that he said, 'Do not hate. If you hate, nobody will know you hate them. But you'll be miserable.' And I always thought that was the most wonderful thing." -Sister Nancy Linenkugel

What started as a routine language arts lesson turned into an unlikely friendship that would last a lifetime.

As a young teacher, Sister Nancy was teaching “The Diary of Anne Frank” when her students began asking questions she couldn't answer. So she did something remarkable: she wrote a letter to Anne's father, Otto Frank.

He wrote back.

From opposite sides of the globe and different faith traditions, a friendship was born, and it left an impression on Sister Nancy that has stayed with her for decades.

Watch Sister Nancy’s full story: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/podcast-episode/hear-my-story-sister-nancy-linenkugel/

10/12/2026

On September 18, 1942, Anneliese Yosafat’s family received a deportation notice. Instead of reporting, they went into hiding.

To avoid looking suspicious as they traveled, they could only bring a few personal items. Anneliese chose her favorite doll and her mother's baby spoon.

Over the course of the war, the family hid with 13 different families in various locations. They lived under false identities with false papers, and Anneliese became "Annie Frieherr" (Freeman).

When one of their hiding places was bombed, Anneliese was so frightened that she bit the fingers off one of her dolls.

After the bombing, the family fled to Bludenz, Austria, where they began hiding in plain sight. Her father, Walter, using the name "Kurt," told the town they were Christians from Mannheim who had lost their identification papers in a bombing. With their false papers, Walter even worked for the local government from September 1944 until the end of the war.

In 1946, the family revealed that they were Jewish. The town was not pleased to learn they had been fooled, and local clergy urged them to leave. In 1950, the family came to the United States.

Learn more about how artifacts can be donated: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/support/artifact-donation-coppel-resource-library-and-archives/

10/11/2026

Simon Kaltman was born on May 8, 1927, in Lodz, Poland. He was just 12 years old when the N**is invaded his country.

In 1940, Simon and his family were forced into the Lodz Ghetto. Four years later, they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where his mother and sisters were murdered.

Simon and his father were transferred to several sub-camps of Dachau, and in 1945, they were liberated from Bad Tölz, Germany.

After the war, Simon tried to make his way to Palestine, but he was detained by the British and sent to Cyprus. In 1947, he was finally reunited with his father in Palestine.

It was in Israel that Simon met his wife, Helen, a fellow survivor. Together, they immigrated to the United States and raised three children here in Cincinnati.

10/10/2026

“It's getting the opportunity and being reminded that it's up to us every day to stand up for people who can't, to step in and say no, that's not okay.” -Yvonne Boltz

In 2015, Yvonne's husband, Eric, a competitive cyclist, was hit by a car while riding. He was left paralyzed from the chest down, and the retirement the couple had planned suddenly looked very different.

But instead of letting their world get smaller, they made it bigger.

Yvonne and Eric bought 11 acres and turned it into Boltz to Nutz Farm, a place where people living with physical disabilities can explore life after injury in a supportive, hopeful space. With adaptive kitchens, accessible gardens, and a home built to welcome everyone, their goal is to make life with a disability less isolating and more empowering.

In this episode of Hear My Story, Yvonne and Eric share how they adapted to a life they never expected.

Watch Yvonne & Eric's full story: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/podcast-episode/hear-my-story-yvonne-and-eric-boltz/

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

Frank Bergstein grew up in South Avondale, Cincinnati and enlisted to fight in World War II in July 1941.

Following basic training, he was selected for Officer Candidate School and assigned to the 115th Regimental Combat Team of the 29th Infantry Division. After two years of training in England, he stormed the beaches of Normandy, then marched with his men through France and Germany for 44 straight days of combat.

He served until January 1946, and, like many veterans, spent the rest of his life coming to terms with the horrors of war while raising a family and helping run the family business. Late in life, with gentle encouragement from his children, he finally began writing down his memories.

His daughter, Connie Bergstein Dow, a professional dancer, dance educator, and author of five children's books about movement, worked with Frank's brother-in-law, John McHaffie, to compile his writings into the book “Some Reminiscences of World War II.”

Now, Connie shares her father's story. Watch the full video: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/podcast-episode/hear-my-story-connie-bergstein-dow/

10/08/2026

A statement from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.

10/07/2026

Bella (Benizio) Ouziel was born in 1925 and grew up in a close-knit Jewish neighborhood in Salonika, Greece. In 1941, the N**is occupied her city.

Two years later, Bella and her family were forced into the Baron Hirsch Ghetto. Just three weeks after that, they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where her family was killed upon arrival. Only Bella and her sister, Sylvia, remained together until Sylvia fell ill and was murdered a few months later.

In 1945, she was liberated from Bergen-Belsen, where she met Sam, the man she married the following year. Together, they raised two children, immigrated to the United States in 1951, and built new lives, both working for Standard Textile. The small family business hired immigrants like Sam, to support them as they started a new life in Cincinnati. It grew to specialize in healthcare textiles and is now a global company.

Learn more about Bella’s story: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/podcast-episode/episode-5/