Holocaust Museum LA Presents Commemorations of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Courtesy Holocaust Museum LA

Marking Liberation of Auschwitz, Museum Events Will Feature Intergenerational Conversation with Auschwitz survivor Michael Bornstein and his daughter Debbie Holinstat and Screening of Award-Winning Film, “Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk”

Holocaust Museum LA will commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day with two separate events January 21 and 28 at the museum.

Recognized by the United Nations, International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the tragedy of the Holocaust and marks the day that Auschwitz was liberated (January 27).  

In partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation (ABMF) and in commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Holocaust Museum LA presents “Auschwitz Survivors and Honey Cakes,” Sunday, January 21 at 3 PM at the museum.

The program features Auschwitz survivor Michael Bornstein and his daughter Debbie Holinstat in conversation with Dr. Maria Zalewska, executive director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation (and editor of “Honey Cake and Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors,” a book of heirloom family recipes coupled with survivors’ stories).

Michael Bornstein survived for seven months inside Auschwitz, where the average lifespan of a child was just two weeks. Six years after his liberation, he immigrated to the United States. He graduated from Fordham University, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, and worked in pharmaceutical research and development for more than forty years. Bornstein and his daughter, Debbie, co-wrote his autobiography, “Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz.” Now retired, he (often accompanied by Debbie) speaks frequently to schools and other groups about his experiences in the Holocaust. 

A television news producer, Debbie Holinstat does speaking engagements around the country with her father, visiting middle schools, high schools, universities, and religious and business institutions to share his experiences.  

The event will also feature a tasting of honey cakes from “Honey Cakes and Latkes.” Book signings of “Honey Cakes and Latkes” and Michael Bornstein’s autobiography “Survivors’ Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz” will follow the program.  Both books will be available for purchase. 

On January 28 at 3 PM, the museum presents a screening of “Return to Auschwitz:  The Survival of Vladimir Munk,” an award-winning film documenting Czech Holocaust survivor Vladimir Munk’s return to Auschwitz in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camp.  Documentary co-author Julie Canepa will discuss her work in a post-screening conversation. 

Munk, a former professor of biology at SUNY Plattsburgh, passed away at age 98 in October 2023.  Canepa and Munk met when she authored “Vladimir’s Story,” a seven-article series for the Sun Community News in Northeastern New York.  She subsequently accompanied him to Auschwitz and authored “The Missing Star,” a novel based on Vladimir and Kitty Munk and their remarkable story of love and survival.

For more information, visit https://www.holocaustmuseumla.org/event-details/auschwitz-survivors-and-honey-cakes

For more information on the film, visit  https://www.holocaustmuseumla.org/event-details/film-screening-return-to-auschwitz-the-survival-of-vladimir-munk

About Holocaust Museum LA

Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust Museum in the United States and houses the West Coast’s largest collection of Holocaust-era artifacts. Since 1961, the museum has carried on the mission of the founding survivors to commemorate those who perished, educate future generations about the Holocaust, and inspire a more dignified and humane world. Museum admission is free for all teachers, students and children under 17 and is also free for visitors all day Sunday. A mobile guide to the museum that can be used both on-site and off-site and can be accessed through the Bloomberg Connects app or downloaded on Google Play or the App Store. https://holocaustmuseumLA.org/