The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division and Chabad of Oro Valley will present local Holocaust survivor Willy Halpert on “The Hidden Child During the Holocaust” on Sunday, Dec. 27 at 4 p.m. at the JFSA Northwest office, 190 W. Magee Road.
Halpert recalls walking with his father in Antwerp, Belgium, when the street was blocked by the S.S. His father, who was to be arrested as a member of the Resistance, pushed him into the arms of a stranger. Halpert, who was taken to an orphanage and spent the next three years under an assumed name, never saw either of his parents again.
After the war he was reunited with his three sisters and sent to Australia to live with an uncle, the only surviving relative the International Red Cross could find.
In 2014, at the urging of family and friends, Halpert traveled to Belgium in an attempt to retrace the memories of his lost childhood.
A wine and dessert buffet will be held prior to the lecture. A $10 suggested donation is requested. RSVP at office@jewishorovalley.com, northwestjewish@jfsa.org or 505-4161.
