INHERITANCE OF MEMORY: HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS AND THEIR CHILDREN SHARE THEIR STORIES.
with Peter Krohn, John Kornfeld, Rhonda Findling and Elaine Leeder.
Inheritance of Memory brings together the voices of Holocaust survivors and their children in a deeply moving anthology of memoir and testimony.
This kaleidoscope of family stories conveys what reading one story cannot: that the Holocaust nightmare unfolded in vastly different ways and at different times depending on where you lived in Europe; that Jews fiercely resisted Nazi persecution and eluded capture in countless ways, legally and illegally; and that they journeyed all over the world seeking safe haven.
The survivors speak of loss, endurance, courage, and hope. Their children share how they came to understand their parents’ experiences—and why telling these stories matters.
As the generation of survivors grows smaller, remembrance becomes an urgent responsibility for us all. This collection stands as an act of witness and preservation, ensuring that these personal histories remain part of our collective memory.
A powerful contribution to Holocaust literature, Jewish history, and World War II testimony, Inheritance of Memory honors the voices of those who lived the history—and those who now safeguard it.
Join Ner Shalom members Peter Krohn, Rhonda Findling, and Elaine Leeder, along with editor John Kornfeld, as they share their stories in what promises to be a moving experience.
The Book is available here and will be available for purchase at the event.
Elaine (Sneierson) Leeder is President of the Board of Congregation Ner Shalom. She has over 50 years experience as a professor, dean, scholar, activist and author. She has written 8 books . As co-editor of Inheritance of Memory she also documents her experience with intergenerational transmission of trauma.
Peter Krohn lived in Milano Italy from 1937 -1939. His parents had the foresight and good fortune to leave Berlin in 1934. In 1939 they managed to get a Visa to Canada just three weeks before they would have been deported to a camp by Mussolini. Peter and family had a few rather frightening encounters with Nazi officers and the Italian Carabiniere. He lost over 100 relatives during WWII. Even when physically safe in Canada, Peter has written about how fear followed him like a shadow in the inheritance of Memory anthology.
Rhonda Findling is a retired Counseling Faculty from Santa Rosa Junior College, where she counseled students in programs for first-generation, isadvantaged students. She founded the College’s program for formerly incarcerated students. She has published numerous articles over the years in various publications. She and her spouse live in Sebastopol, and have two adult daughters.
John Kornfeld grew up in Los Angeles in a tight-knit community of Holocaust survivors. He earned his A.B. degree in English from Princeton University; his M.A. in Education from Sonoma State University; and his Ph.D. in Education from Indiana University. He spent 16 years as a K-12 teacher, and then a quarter century as Professor of Education and Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies at Sonoma State University. He retired in 2020.