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A Survivor and an Educator: Hanne Holsten’s Escape From Nazi Germany and Millie Jasper’s Fight Against Hate

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Millie Jasper of the White Plains-based Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center and survivor Hanne Holsten, united in their mission to remember, educate and confront hate.

After we finished recording, 94-year-old Holocaust survivor Hanne Holsten told us that her memories — formed as an eight-year-old girl — remain so vivid, so sharp, that as she spoke, the images return in crystal-clear detail. 

The Hartsdale resident recounts her story with remarkable clarity and emotional depth. She could see the images unfolding in her mind’s eye. 

This week on Local Matters Westchester, we present a special podcast episode featuring Holsten, who shares her heartbreaking and powerful story of escape from Nazi Germany.

She explains what she, her siblings and her parents endured — a story that is difficult but essential to hear. Holsten describes their journey to survive, including the wrenching moment, as a young girl, when she realized her once normal and happy life was about to confront a dark new reality.

Now just weeks from her 95th birthday, Holsten reflects on the childhood she lost and how becoming a teacher helped her reclaim a part of what was taken. (She served as director of the Westchester Jewish Center Nursery School from 1973 to 2006 — a detail we didn’t get to in the interview.)

In addition, she draws connections between history and the rise of contemporary fascist threats.

We’re also joined by Millie Jasper, executive director of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center in White Plains. She discusses the center’s mission to preserve Holocaust memory, educate future generations and confront hate. One especially powerful moment: Jasper explains how students who are sent in after drawing swastikas often leave transformed — educated and changed for the better.

Big thanks, as always, to Genesis/Saw Mill Club for sponsoring these important local conversations.

Listen in right here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Jin6Bo4WyRxXsNcH44uKC?si=kOURK9s4Swuh-zx-Fy86tA&nd=1&dlsi=dc201576b5524eae

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