Displaced Person

  • My Road to Truth

    My Road to Truth

    As I watch the endless news stories about the Ukrainian people driven from their homeland by a ruthless tyrant, I think of my journey to understand my father’s refugee years and how what I learned changed the trajectory of my life and my view of the world. I look at the face of a refugee…

  • Building Peace in the Minds of Men and Women…UNESCO – International Holocaust Remembrance Day

    Building Peace in the Minds of Men and Women…UNESCO – International Holocaust Remembrance Day

    “Building Peace in the Minds of Men and Women”…UNESCO – International Holocaust Remembrance Day  Joanie Holzer Schirm  It wasn’t until I was in my 50’s that I learned there was an International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, now commonly known as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day was created…

  • Wannsee Conference – What it Means for Today

    Wannsee Conference – What it Means for Today

    The 80th Anniversary of the Wannsee Conference …What it Means for Today     By Joanie Holzer Schirm  “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.”            —Simon Wiesenthal In late May 1942, train records indicate that my paternal Czech Bohemian grandparents, Arnost and Olga Holzer, perished at the hands of the Nazis…

  • Partnering with Echoes & Reflections for a More Peaceful World

    Partnering with Echoes & Reflections for a More Peaceful World

    Partnering with Echoes & Reflections for a More Peaceful World   In these times of considerable uncertainty, one thing is sure. We all recognize the importance of education when seeking to end prejudice and discrimination while inspiring a more caring and respectful world.   With that shared goal in mind, please consider a free partnership…

  • A Story for Today – My Dear Boy Book Reviews Remind Why Learning History Matters

    A Story for Today – My Dear Boy Book Reviews Remind Why Learning History Matters

    From the writing journey… Since the March 1, 2019 publication by Potomac Books of My Dear Boy: A World War II Story of Escape, Exile, and Revelation, the reception of this powerful story of my Czech Jewish father’s past that resonates in our present time has been wondrous. (book trailer) Today, I share with you…