ISRAEL SOLIDARITY AT OR CHADASH



Gerd Strauss will speak on “From Holocaust to the State of Israel: A Personal Journey” at Shabbat services 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 9th at the Junior League (2099 E. River Road).

Born in Giessen, Hesse Germany, Mr. Strauss joined the Zionist Youth Organization in 1931 and worked for the Zionist Youth Organization-Jewish Boy Scouts-Maccabi Sports movement. His father died in Theresienstadt and his mother in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Mr. Strauss was placed in Buchenwald Concentration Camp as a political prisoner in 1938 and was released and immigrated to Palestine in March 1939.

After attending courses at the Bezalel Art School as a silversmith, Hebrew University, and the Jerusalem Conservatory, he joined the British Army and the Jewish Brigade in 1941, serving until 1946. He served in MI5 and MI6 of British Army Intelligence service, 1941-1943. From 1939 to 1947, he also was a member of the Jewish Underground, Haganah, forerunner of the Israel Defense Forces, and served in S’hai of Haganah, the precursor to Shin Beth, the IDF Secret Service.

Mr. Strauss has taught Holocaust since 1965 on all levels of education and has assembled hundreds of valuable documents and papers, over 300 books, and numerous videos on the Holocaust.

He became a charter member of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington DC in 1977 and served as Vice Chair of the Holocaust Committee Jewish Community Council in Washington DC. He is Vice President of the Holocaust Survivors in Washington DC and President of the Tucson Holocaust Survivors.

Mr. Strauss is CEO of the B’nai B’rith Covenant House of Tucson.