Holocaust survivor Hank Brodt to speak at Elon on Feb. 13

Brodt will share his story of resilience and survival at the LaRose Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 13. 

Local Holocaust survivor Hank Brodt will share his incredible story of survival and resilience in Elon University’s LaRose Theatre on Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. during a special event open to the public.

The chance to hear and meet a Holocaust survivor is diminishing. For some of our community members, this may be the only chance they have for this once in a lifetime opportunity. If you want to bring a group or class, please reach out to discuss reserved seating.

Born in 1925 and now a resident of High Point, N.C., Brodt was a prisoner in five Nazi concentration camps and a forced labor camp, including Plashov, Matthausen and Ebensee, during his teenage years. His tale of struggle and his survival against the odds illuminates one of the darkest periods of human history, the Holocaust.

After his liberation, Brodt testified at the trial of Nazi war criminals, including Amon Goeth in Dachau, Germany. After his immigration to the United States, Brodt served in the U.S. Army in Germany and Korea. He has participated in the March of the Living more than 10 times, walking from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom Hashoah, and is committed to sharing his story so the horrific crimes of the Holocaust are never forgotten. 

Elon Hillel student board Religious Life and Education Chair Melissa Denish will introduce Brodt and his talk will be followed by a Q & A session moderated by Director of Jewish Life Betsy Polk.

The event is co-sponsored by Elon Hillel, Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, History and Geography, the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.

This special event recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international memorial day on Jan. 27 marking the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated 6 million Jewish people, 5 million Slavs, 3 million ethnic Poles, 200,000 Romani people, 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people, and 9,000 homosexuals by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. This day of remembrance was designated by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp.

Event Details and location:

LaRose Digital Theatre, Elon University

February 13, 2019 at 5:30 pm