WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — Gerda Weissmann Klein, A Holocaust survivor and educator, was one of 15 persons named by President Barack Obama on Wednesday as Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees.
A White House announcement said “Gerda Weissmann Klein is a Jewish Holocaust survivor who has written several books about her experiences. After Nazi Germany took over her homeland of Poland, Klein was separated from both her parents: they were sent to Auschwitz and she to a series of labor and concentration camps. In 1945, she was sent on a forced 350-mile death march to avoid the advance of Allied forces. She was one of the minority who survived the forced journey. In May 1945, Klein was liberated by forces of the United States Army in Volary, Czechoslovakia, and later married Army Lieutenant Kurt Klein, who liberated her camp.
“A naturalized citizen, she recently founded Citizenship Counts, an organization that teaches students to cherish the value of their American citizenship. Klein has spoken to audiences of all ages and faith around the world about the value of freedom and has dedicated her life to promoting tolerance and understanding among all people.
Others who will be awarded the medal in a ceremony next year include former President George H.W. Bush; Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel; U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Civil Rights era activist; John H. Adams, cofounder of the Natural Resources Defense Council; poet Maya Angelou; philanthropist Warren Buffett; artist Jasper Johns;
Dr. Tom Little, a humanitarian eye doctor slain by the Taliban in Washington (posthumous); cellist Yo-Yo Ma; civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez; baseball legend Stan Musial; basketball legend Bill Russell; former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, organizer of VSA, promoting arts of the disabled; and former AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney.
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Preceding provided by the White House