44 | MAY 11 • 2023
O
n May 22, Jewish
young adults will
have a chance to
meet and hear from local
Holocaust survivor Rene
Lichtman. Born in Paris,
France, in 1937, Lichtman
was the son of Polish Jews
who fled the Lublin area of
Poland in 1936 to escape the
growing Nazi terror.
As part of ongoing
NEXTGen Detroit
programming, “Their
Testimony. Our
Responsibility” is intended
for young adults ages 21 to
39. NEXTGen Detroit is part
of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit and
focuses on building a vibrant
community for young Jewish
adults.
The free Zekelman
Holocaust Center event will
begin with light appetizers
and drinks at 5:30 p.m.
and will be followed by the
program at 6 p.m., where
Lichtman will share his
firsthand account of hiding
in France as a young child
during World War II.
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
More than 80 years ago,
Lichtman’s father joined the
French army as the Nazi
regime turned life in Europe
upside down. He made an
agreement with a Catholic
family living just outside
of Paris in the village of
Le Vert Galant to care for
young Rene should anything
happen to him while
fighting.
When his father was killed
in battle and his mother,
who didn’t have the means
to care for him at the time,
temporarily gave her son
to the Catholic family,
Lichtman was raised as a
Catholic boy.
He grew up with a quiet,
rural life outside of Paris,
isolated from much of the
war’s turmoil. He was even
baptized at a young age and
had little interaction with the
Jewish community.
One day in June 1942,
Lichtman’s mother came to
visit his Catholic guardians.
She planned to go into
hiding in Paris as the Nazis
moved closer to the city. It
was the last Lichtman would
see of his biological mother
until after the war.
During the next three
years, Lichtman’s identity
remained a secret, even
though the village where
he lived was wrought with
antisemitism. Following
France’s liberation and the
end of World War II, and
reuniting with his biological
mother, Lichtman struggled
with his identity.
Up until that point, he
never knew he was Jewish.
Oftentimes, he missed his
guardians. He’d visit them on
summer breaks from school
in Paris between the years
of 1945 and 1950. During
one summer visit in 1950,
Lichtman received a letter
from his mother that she had
remarried and the family
would move to the United
States.
Lichtman was reluctant
but made the move shortly
after. Since then, he’s come to
embrace his Jewish identity
and now regularly shares his
experience as a Holocaust
child survivor.
A CRITICAL TIME
As the generation of
Holocaust survivors grows
smaller and smaller, hearing
firsthand accounts like
Lichtman’s becomes of
utmost importance. The
NEXTGen Detroit event
acknowledges that today’s
generations may be the last
to bear witness to these
crucial testimonies.
“No matter how many
years pass, studying the
Holocaust will always
Meet a Survivor
Holocaust survivor Rene Lichtman
will share testimony at upcoming
NEXTGen Detroit event.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
NEXT DOR
VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION
Rene
Lichtman