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