We Survived: At Last, I Speak

Holocaust survivor Leon Malmed will share his story of perseverance, bravery, and triumph in the face of evil. This lecture is brought to the community in connection with International Holocaust Day, Leon Malmed will share his unique story of survival from right under the noses of the Nazi occupiers.

Malmed’s story is about how triumph of will and perseverance can help overcome almost historically insurmountable odds.

In 1942, Malmed and his sister were separated from their parents in occupied France when Malmed was five years old. His parents ultimately perished at the now infamous death camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and he and his sister never saw them again.

For three years, they were forced to play a harrowing game of hide-and-seek with the Nazis. They violated German orders and never wore the Jewish star. They often had to flee at a moments notice to avoid being caught in Nazi roundups, and spent days hiding in basements, fields, and in the nearby forest. It’s a narrative of love and courage set against a backdrop of tragedy, fear, injustice, prejudice, and the greatest moral outrage of the modern era.

Malmed eventually immigrated to the United States in 1964, living in New York for the next 18 years. He went on to hold executive positions with leading tech companies in the Silicon Valley, including SanDisk.