Author of Holocaust book speaks today

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

Fulfilling a promise she made to her mother, Ann Kazimirski, the lone member of her immediate family to survive the Holocaust, has written a story about her experiences.

Now the author of "Witness to Horror" is continuing to honor the promise by making a series of public appearances in Honolulu.

At 12:30 p.m. today, she will speak at the Art Building Auditorium at the University of Hawai'i, and again at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-el. The Holocaust presentations are free to the public.

Kazimirski's father and brother were executed by the Nazis in 1941. The terror continued until virtually the entire 13,500 members of the Jewish population in her small Polish community had been slaughtered.

She personally witnessed the murder of her mother on Dec. 16, 1943, but not before making a pledge to never let the world forget, should she herself make it through.

Kazimirski did survive, and went on to become a educator. In 1993, following her retirement, she wrote "Witness to Horror." In researching her story, she uncovered the harrowing experiences that women endured at the hands of the Nazis, as well as many touching tales of bravery.

"I now have an obligation to show that my life is more than survival," Kazimirski has said. "My mission is to teach about the Holocaust so that people never take our strong social values and freedom for granted."

Kazimirski will also make a presentation at Punahou School on tomorrow and at Schofield Barracks on Friday. For information, call 591-1111.