Seattle-based Laureen Nussbaum, a 94-year-old Jewish scholar and childhood friend of Anne Frank, tells of the magnificent work of German Lawyer Hans Calmeyer in her book Shedding Our Stars: The Story of Hans Calmeyer and How He Saved Thousands of Families Like Mine. It was published in late 2019, and because of the pandemic, Nussbaum is only now making a long-delayed trip to Eugene to discuss her complex story of the Holocaust and World War II. Calmeyer saved upward of 3,700 Jews from the Nazi concentration camps as an adminstrator, and, posthumously, was awarded many honors. In the case of Nussbaum’s family, the author notes that Calmeyer declared her mother non-Jewish and deleted her and the family from the deportation list. In 2020, after Nussbaum’s book came out, some began to wonder if Calmeyer could have done more, pointing to almost 2,000 rejected requests to leave the Nazi-controlled land. In all, this should be a fascinating talk and discussion with Nussbaum.
Laureen Nussbaum, author of Shedding Our Stars: The Story of Hans Calmeyer and How He Saved Thousands of Families Like Mine, speaks at 4 pm Sunday, May 1 at Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Avenue. FREE. — Dan Buckwalter