Barbara Cohen
Barbara (Schechter) Cohen was born in Bukaczowce, Poland (now part of Ukraine) in 1941. When Barbara was a baby, she and her parents were sent to live in a ghetto. They were able to escape with false papers and were hidden by a non-Jewish farmer in the area. Because she had blond hair and blue eyes, Barbara’s mother was able to pass as German and took Barbara to Germany where they stayed during the war. They ended up in a Displaced Persons Camp in Stuttgart, where they were reunited with Barbara’s father. The family arrived in New York in 1946 as refugees.
“In the survivor community, one of our fears is that we don’t want to be forgotten. We want our children to remember the legacy, where they came from, that we are survivors, that we are strong people.”
More Survivor Stories
Survivor Talk Sundays
Join us on Sundays at 12pm to hear first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors that now live in Michigan.

Survivor Talk Sundays: Rae Nachbar
Every survivor’s story is unique and provides a special, first-hand account of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Hearing from local Michigan survivors helps us see all the victims…

Survivor Talk Sundays: Irene Miller
Every survivor’s story is unique and provides a special, first-hand account of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Hearing from local Michigan survivors helps us see all the victims…

Unlocking the Archives: Hungarian Holocaust-Era Property and Cultural Restitution
The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) and The Zekelman Holocaust Center would like to invite you to a special webinar announcing the launch of a new digital archive showcasing 180…

Refuge and Resistance: The Role of Music During the Holocaust:
American flutist Christine Erlander Beard presents a poignant and informative lecture-recital exploring the role of music during the Holocaust. Highlighting flute works by European composers whose lives were tragically cut…

Pieces of Man: A comic one-man show about fatherhood, trauma, and joy
Exclusive Members Only Event. Globetrotting Londoner David is having a midlife crisis. He longs to grow up, but his dad keeps getting in the way. And he’s been dead 20…

The Future of the Past: Holocaust Memory in the Digital Age
What will the future of the past look like? As Holocaust memory and education increasingly transition to digital formats, Dr. Kate Marrison will explore how social media, artificial intelligence, and…

Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Please join us at The Zekelman Holocaust Center for a commemoration featuring stirring readings, music and a candle-lighting ceremony. Survivors and children of survivors from the Detroit area community will…

The Prosecutor: One Man’s Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice
Hear the powerful true story of Fritz Bauer, a Jewish lawyer who returned to Germany after World War II to prosecute war crimes, only to find himself pitted against a…