The Forman community had the incredible opportunity to hear from a Holocaust survivor on Friday, September 27th. Annick Lever BEM, grandparent of Alice Lever ’25, was born in Nazi-occupied France in 1943 to a Jewish mother and a Catholic father. Annick shared her journey of being arrested at just two months old with her mother, aunt, and grandparents to be deported to Auschwitz. Shortly after, she was smuggled out of prison by her father and was raised as a Catholic girl by a French family. 

Annick emotionally shared that she never reunited with those family members who were deported. Her grandparents and aunt were registered at Auschwitz, but her mother was not. For a long time, Annick did not know what happened to her mother. However, around ten years ago, she learned her mother did not survive the journey and had been shot dead in transit.

At the age of 17, Annick moved to Holland to be with her mother’s relatives and learn about her Jewish heritage. Later, she moved to England, where she met her husband, Allen, and settled down. Allen accompanied Annick during her presentation, which, she said she has already given 18 times this year. Together, they have two children and five grandchildren.

Annick emphasized the importance of sharing both her story and that of the Holocaust. She also pointed out that the world did not change completely after the Holocaust, as genocides continued to occur in places like Cambodia, Bosnia, Darfur, and Myanmar.

“I always say to the young people—it doesn't matter what you believe in, what color of your skin is, just respect each other as human beings. We are all human beings, and we must learn to respect each other,” Annick said. “With what is happening all the time, we have to learn.” 

She concluded, “My mother was just an ordinary person, but she was born Jewish, and for that, they killed her."