History and Biography

The History and Biography Group will discuss A Boy’s Journey: From Nazi-occupied Prague to Freedom in America, by CHV’s own Peter Stein.  The memoir focuses on the first 15 years of Peter’s life, 12 in Prague, then in the U.S.  The child of a Catholic mother and a Jewish father who survived Theresienstadt, Peter recalls intimidating encounters with SS officers, recollections of Hitler’s portraits everywhere, food shortages, and the terror of Allied bombings.  After the war, he heard firsthand accounts of survival from several cousins who survived Theresienstadt and Auschwitz, had fought with units in the Czech army stationed in the USSR, and others who flew missions over Germany with the British air force.  Arrival in the United States in 1948 came with shocks of a different kind.  Peter will lead the discussion and share photos and other memorabilia in his possession.

 Registration is required.