She was born Perla Fiszel on December 17, 1925, in Bedzin, Poland. At the age of 14, she was taken to Grunberg Labor Camp where she remained for approximately 4 to 5 years. In the winter of 1945, she was evacuated from Grunberg camp and forced to join a death march to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, walking for weeks and covering approximately 400 km in freezing temperatures. 

 

She was liberated from Bergen-Belsen by British troops on April 15th, 1945. She was my maternal grandmother. She died December 22, 2015, in Ontario, Canada, just days after she turned 90.

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Since her death, we have seen a drastic rise in hate crimes and antisemitic hate crimes in particular.

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Through Perla's Hope, we aim to provide awareness and educational opportunities for teachers, parents, and the community to learn more about the Holocaust, the experiences of Holocaust survivors and victims, and to learn what we can each do to prevent hatred, dehumanization, antisemitism, and even genocides from occurring today.  

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We have shared Perla's story with over 30 classes / groups and would love to continue to share her story with many more. 

 

If you are a teacher, school administrator, parent, community leader, or are planning a community event, our founder would be honored to come share Perla’s story and the mission of Perla’s Hope with your class, school, or community.

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If you’re interested in having us speak at your school, classroom, or event, please contact us.

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Together, we can remember, educate, and make sure that the lessons of the past are never forgotten.

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