Jenniffer Weber lights candles during a moment of remembrance for those who died during the Holocaust, Wednesday during a presentation at the Marysville Public Library. Weber encouraged attendees to continue to share the history of the Holocaust and keep the memory of its victims alive.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Kayleen Petrovia)
A recent program at the Marysville Public Library encouraged attendees to engage with and share the history of the Holocaust.
Wednesday night, Jenniffer Weber shared a presentation called “A True Inspiration” that detailed the life of Holocaust survivor Magda Herzberger and the relationship she has developed with her.
Weber’s interest in the Holocaust began in 2012 when she visited Israel with members of her church. During the trip, she said she was especially moved by the time she spent at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
After returning to the United States, she began volunteering with a nonprofit organization called Classrooms Without Borders, which focuses on Holocaust education.
While volunteering with this organization, Weber attended a talk by Herzberger in which she recalled her experience during the Nazi regime. Weber said she was immediately struck by Herzberger’s story because of the courage she conveyed, even throughout her time at three separate death camps.
“What was more present than the darkness she lived through was the light that now lived in her,” Weber said.
She said she was then inspired to begin sharing Herzberger’s story in hopes of creating a personal connection to the Holocaust between those who might not have one otherwise.
“I wanted to find out how, in my circle of influence, I could make a difference,” Weber said.
Although she has a background in business administration, Weber said she decided to pursue an education in Genocide and Holocaust Studies and received a graduate degree in 2015. She said she now spends much of her free time giving presentations on Herzberger’s life and the impact of the Holocaust, an opportunity she feels is both “an honor and a responsibility.”
She said she is inspired by Herzberger’s mission to relate the experience of Holocaust survivors, as she continues to travel to share her story at 93 years old. However, Weber said others like herself need to help carry the weight of sharing survivors’ stories.
“We need to make sure those stories don’t die with them when they’re gone,” Weber said.
Beyond sharing the tragic events of the Holocaust, Weber said she learned from Magda that it is equally important to share a message of hope.
“If (Herzberger) can get through all of that and not have bitterness, not have hate, not have resentment… I can get through things too,” Weber said.
Weber said she is dedicating a copy of Herzberger’s book that details her life during the Holocaust, Survivor, to the Marysville Public Library with the hope of inspiring others to share her story as well.