20 | JANUARY 19 • 2023

W

est Bloomfield’s Lori
Ellis will be joining her
Holocaust survivor mother,
Sophie Tajch Klisman, and her
mother’s liberator, Doug Harvey, when
they speak together about
the Holocaust at the First
United Methodist Church of
Troy on Jan. 27, International
Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The event is open to the public
and starts at 7 p.m.
“They speak in order
to continue the mission
of educating others about
the dangers of prejudice, hatred,
antisemitism and bigotry,” Ellis said.
“They are a dynamic duo.”
Klisman of Commerce Township
also speaks at the Zekelman Holocaust

Center in Farmington Hills to adults,
professional organizations, athletes,
ROTC college students and children
whenever they need her.
Speaking about her experiences
in the Holocaust is still a
relatively new thing for
Klisman, 93. It was right about
the time the family took a trip
to Klisman’s home country of
Poland in 2016 to retrace her
and her husband’s roots that
she started talking a little bit
about her experiences, Ellis
recalled.
“She went her whole adult life
without ever discussing anything with
my dad, brother or me,” Ellis said.
“But since my dad [also a Holocaust
survivor] died and never spoke about

A Survivor’s Story

OUR COMMUNITY

Local Holocaust survivor and liberator to speak
on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Lori Ellis

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Sophie and hus-
band Bernard Klisman, both Holocaust survi-
vors. Sophie Tajch Klisman right after the war
in a DP camp. Sophie in DP camp at age 16.