One Night Only: “Memory Keepers” – Eight Holocaust Memoir Authors to Gather for a Powerful Evening of Survival, Legacy, and Remembrance

Amsterdam Publishers and 3G Chicago present a rare public conversation on family memory, intergenerational trauma, and the enduring responsibility to bear witness

CHICAGO, IL – On Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., Congregation B’nai Tikvah in Deerfield will host Memory Keepers, a rare public gathering of eight authors of Holocaust memoirs, brought together for the first time to share the stories behind their books at a time when Holocaust memory is fading and antisemitism is rising. For one one night only, hear the personal journeys that led them to preserve their families’ histories.

Presented by Amsterdam Publishers and 3G Chicago, the evening will explore the complex realities of survival, remembrance, resilience, intergenerational trauma, and what it means to carry forward the stories of parents, grandparents, and relatives who endured the Holocaust. The program will also examine the questions that remain unanswered in many families, the emotional cost of uncovering hidden histories, and why these stories continue to matter so deeply today.

The discussion will be moderated by Rabbi Jeremy Fine, spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Tikvah.

Event Details

What: Memory Keepers

When: Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Where: Congregation B’nai Tikvah, 1558 Wilmot Road, Deerfield, IL 60015

Admission: Free; registration required

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/CBTMemoryKeepers

Details:

• A book signing and book sales will follow the program.
• Members of the press are invited to attend. Interviews with participating authors and organizers can be arranged before or after the event.
• Light refreshments will be served.

“We are honored to welcome these authors to our congregation for what promises to be a deeply meaningful and timely conversation,” said Rabbi Jeremy Fine. “For many families, the Holocaust was not only a history passed down — it was also a silence, a wound, and a legacy carried across generations. These authors have undertaken the difficult and courageous work of recovering what was hidden, honoring what was lost, and helping ensure that these stories continue to educate, challenge, and inspire.”

Over the past decade, Amsterdam Publishers has built a distinguished international reputation for publishing Holocaust memoirs and works of remembrance. Founded by Liesbeth Heenk, the press has published more than 130 Holocaust-related titles, helping survivors and their descendants bring deeply personal histories to readers, libraries, educators, and communities around the world.

“At a time when Holocaust memory is fading for some and being distorted or denied by others, it is essential that we return to the human stories,” said Liesbeth Heenk, founder and editor-in-chief of Amsterdam Publishers. “These memoirs remind us not only of the devastating consequences of unchecked hatred, but also of the resilience, dignity, and humanity of those who survived. Bringing these authors together creates a powerful opportunity to reflect, learn, and strengthen our shared responsibility to remember.”

Though not Jewish herself, Heenk traces her commitment to Holocaust remembrance to her late mother’s stories of growing up in Nazi-occupied Holland, where her family helped hide people and distribute anti-Nazi pamphlets as part of the Dutch resistance. “I feel morally obliged to offer survivors and their families a platform where they can share their experiences,” Heenk said.

The event is co-presented by 3G Chicago, an organization founded by grandchildren of Holocaust survivors and dedicated to preserving memory, building community, and advancing Holocaust education for future generations.

“3G Chicago was created by descendants of Holocaust survivors who recognize that we are among the last living links to our grandparents’ stories,” said Dan Thalheimer, director of 3G Chicago. “As time passes, the responsibility to preserve the truth becomes even more urgent. By sharing these stories, creating spaces for remembrance, and educating future generations, we honor the past while helping build a future grounded in empathy, understanding, and moral courage.”

The evening will invite both authors and audience members into a conversation about remembrance not only as an act of honoring the past, but also as a call to confront hatred, antisemitism, silence, and indifference in the present.

Participating Authors

Janet Bond Brill, PhD – Little Edna’s War

At age 7, Edna Szurek smuggled food into the Warsaw Ghetto, finding safety in a convent afterwards. By 10, she was fighting in the Polish resistance. And, disguised as a Catholic, she would even earn a medal from Pope Pius XII. Janet knew her mother-in-law for 37 years before deciding to document Edna’s tale of bravery, love and survival.

Alexa Morris – The Courtyard

Benjamin Parket was born in Paris in 1933 to Polish immigrants and grew up in a vibrant working-class courtyard. When the Germans occupied Paris in 1940, life for Jewish families changed overnight. In July 1942, hours before the Nazis arrive to arrest them, neighbors hide the family in a vacant warehouse. For over two years, young Benjamin slipped out daily to find food for his family while their neighbors kept them safe. Co-written with his daughter-in-law, Alexa Morris, The Courtyard is his memoir of those years and the people who made survival possible.

Janet Horvath (2G) – The Cello Still Sings

Janet’s parents, both professional musicians and Holocaust survivors, buried the memories of who and what they were before the war. Music was their lifeline. After five decades of secrets, their daughter Janet, also a cellist, asks an innocent question about music. The author’s father reveals that after liberation from slave labor he played 200 morale-building concerts for survivors in the displaced persons camps of Bavaria from 1946-48, two of which were with Maestro Leonard Bernstein. It is the clue that leads to unravelling the past.

Mark Prelas (2G) – In the Time of Madmen

Mark’s mother at age 18 was close to achieving a dream of competing in the Olympics, when, instead, she was taken from Zagreb (Croatia) to work as a slave laborer in Germany. In the process, she hid her Jewish ancestry to protect herself and her sisters. Mark also describes his father’s journey, when he cheated death after the Nazis decided he was a Roma.

Grace Feuerverger (2G) – Winter Light

This story is one of surviving the traumas of Holocaust survivor parents. At the core of this memoir stands a little girl struggling to find a path toward the “life force.” Her beloved city Montréal offered the chance of a lifetime when she discovered the joie-de-vivre of her French-Canadian neighbors. As Grace’s life unfolded, other serendipitous “rescues” followed in unexpected places and from unexpected people in many parts of the world. This is an emotional rags-to-riches story.

Anne Hand (3G) – Austrian Again

While pursuing Austrian repatriation citizenship, created for the descendants of those victimized by the Nazi and Austrofacist regimes, Anne uncovered her family’s hidden history. She digs through family stories and documents to trace her Austrian and Czech roots, piecing together a story withheld by her ancestors. Her journey becomes a reflection on memory, loss and resilience, legacies both long buried and still cherished, and an exploration of what it means to reclaim a lost heritage.

Martin Bodek (3G) – Zaidy’s War

This memoir about Martin’s grandfather is an exploration about not giving up. Benzion Malik served first in the Romanian army at 21, then was forced into hard labor by the Hungarian Army, then found himself in the German army and finally, the Soviet army. It was a dance with death he endured for six years. Even after the war, he had to confront the ruins of his family and community. Again, he persevered, and instead of bemoaning his fate, he helped rebuild a community.

Jonathan Schloss (3G) – Four Survivor Grandparents

Four orphaned teens, Jonathan’s grandparents, survive the unimaginable horrors of World War II through courage, quick thinking, and resilience. This book weaves together their prewar lives, wartime survival under Nazi persecution, and their postwar journeys to America, where they rebuilt full and meaningful lives. The narrative shifts across generations with warmth, wit, and deep respect. It shows how the traits that helped them survive also helped them build lasting legacies – and why that still matters today.

About Amsterdam Publishers

Amsterdam Publishers is an independent publishing house dedicated to preserving Holocaust memory through memoirs, and family narratives by survivors and their descendants. Founded by Liesbeth Heenk in 2012, the press has published more than 130 Holocaust-related books for readers, educators, libraries, and communities worldwide.

About 3G Chicago

3G Chicago is an organization founded by grandchildren of Holocaust survivors dedicated to preserving survivor stories, strengthening community, and advancing Holocaust education for future generations. Through events, programs, and shared experiences, 3G Chicago works to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to inform and inspire action.

About Congregation B’nai Tikvah

Congregation B’nai Tikvah is a vibrant Conservative synagogue in Deerfield, Illinois, serving the North Shore and surrounding communities. Founded in 1976, the congregation is known for its welcoming spirit, dynamic worship, lifelong learning, and strong sense of Jewish connection, offering a warm and inclusive spiritual home for individuals and families of all ages.

Media Contact

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