College of the Sequoias frequently holds events where speakers are invited to share their cultural stories. On Friday, November 15, COS invited Eva Perlman to share her miraculous story of how her family escaped Nazi Germany in the 1940’s. Eva’s story is one that she hopes to share with people to remind the world of what can happen when ethnic and religious superiority is mixed with antisemitism, profiling, and violence.

Perlman grew up in Paris, France, and was one of three children born to Jewish parents. At this time, the Nazi regime was targeting people of Jewish descent leaving her family with no other option but to escape with only the clothes on their backs. Her story narrates how communities helped hide her family across European towns having many near misses with the Nazis.

Perlman shares remarkable black-and-white photos of her family members throughout her seminar. Just last year, she trekked the land she once lived in with her granddaughter so that her family could see all she overcame to be here with them today. Perlman shares her story in the hopes that history will never repeat itself.

Perlman, 92, noted that during the Holocaust, six million Jewish people died. A Holocaust memorial is now located in Bakersfield, California built to remember the innocent lives lost. It is open to the public and has regular education events. Perlman wants to educate the public because it is important to understand baseless hatred and wants America to denounce all forms of prejudice. She notes that “Political power and prejudice can mix into a toxic brew that threatens any group of people.”

If you would like to visit the Holocaust Memorial, it is open to the public by appointment. Click on the link for more information.