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Holocaust survivor to speak at Union

Erika Schwartz, one of the youngest Holocaust survivors in the U.S., will speak on Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m. in the Nott Memorial.

Schwartz’s talk is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by Chabad at Union, Chi Psi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Phi Epsilon, Gamma Phi Beta, Hillel, the departments of History and Political Science, the Religious Studies Program, Sigma Chi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Phi and TDX.

Erika Schwartz, one of the youngest Holocaust survivors in the U.S., will speak on Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m. in the Nott Memorial. Schwartz’s talk is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by Chabad at Union, Chi Psi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Phi Epsilon, Hillel, the Department of History, the Religious Studies Program, Sigma Chi, Sigma Delta Tau and Sigma Phi. Stephen Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, will give opening remarks.

Holocaust survivor Erika Schwartz

Stephen Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, will give opening remarks.

Schwartz was born in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, in April 1944, just a month after the German invasion. Believing that Hungary was not going to be safe for Jews under the new regime, her father went to the authorities and begged them to allow his wife and daughter to move to Budapest.

To keep them safe in Budapest, false Christian identity papers were obtained that allowed the pair to live undetected. When the war ended in 1945, Schwartz’s mother discovered that they were the only two survivors from their entire family.

“Growing up, Erika carried the lasting trauma of the Holocaust, shaped both by her early experiences and by being raised by a survivor navigating profound loss,” said Laiky Rubin, adviser to Chabad at Union. “Over time, she found strength in sharing her story, transforming pain into purpose. She offers a powerful message about resilience, memory and the responsibility to confront hate.”