One of the few children who survived the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
Program Titles
- Memories of a Child Survivor of Holocaust
- We are all God’s children – celebrating diversity & tolerance for other ethnic & racial groups
- Holocaust survivor her spirit & achievements are truly remarkable.
- We Shall Never Forget: Song presented at the first World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors in Jerusalem
- The Olympic Doll: I Am A Star was especially made for middle school children as a lesson of tolerance
- The Holocaust through the eyes of a child survivor
- Beating all odds – overcoming prejudice, a deadly illness & rejection
- Not all holocaust survivors were Jewish
Dr. Inge Auerbacher is a child survivor of the Holocaust, one of the few children who survived the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
She is the author of 6 books, published in 9 languages.
More than 50 of her poems and numerous articles have been published.
Inge’s life in Terezin was a nightmare.
Death, fear and hunger were her constant companions. She saw most of her friends sent to the gas chamber in Auschwitz. She contracted serious illnesses and spent months in the so-called hospital.
She was in Terezin when the International Red Cross came to inspect the camp. Inge also remembers when the children’s opera “Brundibar” was performed.
Between 1941-1945, a total of 140,000 people were shipped to Terezin; 88,000 were sent primarily to the gas chambers in Auschwitz, and 35,000 died of malnutrition and disease in Terezin. Of the 15,000 children imprisoned in Terezin, Inge is among the few who survived.
She and her parent immigrated to America in 1946.
Inge was stricken with tuberculosis caused by years of malnutrition in the concentration camp. She was hospitalized for two years, and fought a valiant battle for many years to regain her strength.
Although she had lost many years of schooling she graduated with honors from High School. She completed a college degree, BS in Chemistry, and continued with post-graduate work in Biochemistry.
Inge worked for many years as a chemist with prominent scientists in research and clinical work.
The film: “Finding Dr. Schatz” based on her book “Finding Dr. Schatz” – The Discovery of Streptomycin and a Life It Saved was recently shown at a World Forum of Tuberculosis in Rio and Lung Association in North Carolina.
The Discovery of Streptomycin and A Life It Saved. Deals with the first antibiotic against tuberculosis, (The life saved was mine).
She has appeared on many radio and television programs both in the USA and abroad.
Prize-winning documentary films have been made about her, which have been shown all over the world.
Awards she received:
“Woman of Distinction” from the State Senate of New York
“Ellis Island Medal of Honor”: Whose mandate is to preserve ethnic diversity, promote ethnic and religious equality, tolerance and harmony, combat injustice, hatred and bigotry. Inge received her honor together with Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator John Glenn, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Rehnquist, and several other renowned honorees. Past awardees have included U.S. Presidents and Nobel Prize winners.
“Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award” presented by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
“Doctor of Humane Letters” honoris causa, Long Island University, N.Y
“Alumni Star”: In celebration of Queens College’s 60th Anniversary, 100 top living alumni were chosen for their exceptional accomplishments and contributions to society.
“New York City Hall of Fame” among the first inductees
“I stand tall and proud,
My voice shouts in silence loud:
I am a real person still,
No one can break my spirit or will:
I am a star!”
Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Medal of merit from the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg
Medal of merit from the City of Goeppingen
Federal Cross of merit given by the President of Germany
Books by Dr. Inge Auerbacher
- I Am A Star: Child of the Holocaust
- Children of Terror
- Finding Dr. Schatz: The Discovery of Streptomycin and A Life it Saved
- Running Against the Wind
- Highway To New York
- Beyond the Yellow Star To America
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