Holocaust hidden child to speak at GVSU

A “hidden child” of the Holocaust will visit Grand Valley State University to share his story of living under the threat of discovery and death at the hand of the Nazi regime.

Fred Lessing will present “My Holocaust Story: Reflections of a Hidden Child” November 2 at 4 p.m. in the Mary Idema Pew Library Multipurpose Room on the Allendale Campus.

Lessing, the youngest son of highly assimilated Jewish parents, was four-years-old when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940. He and his family were living in Delft when they were ordered to prepare for deportation in October of 1942. Lessing and his family were ready to obey the Germans, but before the family departed, Lessing’s grandfather arrived from Amsterdam to warn them of the dangers of boarding a German transport. This warning saved Lessing’s family from sharing the fate of the 75 percent of Jewish citizens from the Netherlands who died in the Holocaust. From that moment in 1942, Lessing spent two-and-a-half years in hiding.

“Unlike the many video testimonies or oral histories, there is something distinctively valuable about listening to a Holocaust witness in person,” said Rob Franciosi, professor of English at Grand Valley. “Fred lived under the threat of discovery and death for nearly three years. Had he been discovered or betrayed, like Anne Frank and her family, it is likely he would have been a victim, not a survivor.”

For more information, contact Franciosi at [email protected] or call (616) 331-3069.