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Holocaust survivor speaks to audience in Memorial Day
Celina Area Heritage Association makes first donation to fund to care for Dallas Holocaust Museum
Penny Rathbun
prathbun@starlocalnews.com
Holocaust survivor Mike Jacobs has a motto he lives by and repeats frequently.
“You must remember, you must never forget how beautiful it is to be free.”
He repeats this frequently during his slide presentation at Celina First Baptist Church on Memorial Day. His slides were photos from trips he made back to Germany to visit the places where he was imprisoned in concentration camps at the age of 14 during World War II.
Jacobs and his family were herded into cattle cars in their hometown of Konin, Poland on September 1, 1939. They were taken to a ghetto in Ostrowiec. His parents, two brothers and two sisters were murdered in the Treblinka death camp.
Another brother was killed while fighting the Nazis with partisans.
Jacobs eventually spent time in the Auschwitz, Birkenau and Mathausen-Gusen II death camps. The American 11th Armored Division, known as the Thunderbolts, liberated him from Mathausen-Gusen on May 5, 1945.
Jacobs did not rest after he was liberated. He worked as a shopkeeper in Western Europe, studied physical education in Germany and taught sports to Jewish refugees and German children before emigrating to the United States in 1951.
He lectures extensively about the Holocaust and has spoken to many groups. He wrote a book about his experiences titled “Holocaust Survivor: Mike Jacob’s Triumph Over Tragedy.” It was published in 2001.
After his slide presentation he showed a few relics from his time in the death camps. A particularly poignant moment came when he held up a pair of baby shoes taken from the piles of thousands of shoes from death camp prisoners who had been murdered. He expressed an irrepressible sadness that spread to his audience when he said, “Nobody can deny.”
He said the same thing when he held up a small, square object. He explained it was a bar of soap made from human fat.
Should anyone deny the Holocaust ever happened while in his presence Jacobs will give that person an unforgettable history lesson based on his own experience.
After his presentation he and his wife Ginger Chesnick Jacobs took questions from the audience.
Jacobs is also founder of the Dallas Holocaust Museum the Center for Education and Tolerance, dedicated to the memory of the 11 million souls who perished at the hands of the Nazis from 1939 to 1945.
He has recently established a fund for the perpetual care and use of the museum. Bob McKnight, founding member of the Celina Area Heritage Association and organizer of Jacobs’ visit, presented Jacobs with a $500 check from the Heritage Association. It is the first donation to Jacobs’ museum fund.
Jacobs is also a major soccer fan. He has coached numerous teams and is a past president of the Dallas Soccer Association. He is also a former professional soccer referee. As a result of developing youth soccer in Dallas he was installed in the North Texas Soccdr Association Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1994 he served as spotter for the Women’s World Cup soccer games in Dallas and in 2003 as spotter for the Women’s World Cup games in Columbus, Ohio.
Following his presentation the audience adjourned to the Celina Heritage Museum where he signed copies of his book and answered more questions.
His audience understood his message to never forget the Holocaust and never let it happen again.
Penny Rathbun
prathbun@starlocalnews.com
Holocaust survivor Mike Jacobs has a motto he lives by and repeats frequently.
“You must remember, you must never forget how beautiful it is to be free.”
He repeats this frequently during his slide presentation at Celina First Baptist Church on Memorial Day. His slides were photos from trips he made back to Germany to visit the places where he was imprisoned in concentration camps at the age of 14 during World War II.
Jacobs and his family were herded into cattle cars in their hometown of Konin, Poland on September 1, 1939. They were taken to a ghetto in Ostrowiec. His parents, two brothers and two sisters were murdered in the Treblinka death camp.
Another brother was killed while fighting the Nazis with partisans.
Jacobs eventually spent time in the Auschwitz, Birkenau and Mathausen-Gusen II death camps. The American 11th Armored Division, known as the Thunderbolts, liberated him from Mathausen-Gusen on May 5, 1945.
Jacobs did not rest after he was liberated. He worked as a shopkeeper in Western Europe, studied physical education in Germany and taught sports to Jewish refugees and German children before emigrating to the United States in 1951.
He lectures extensively about the Holocaust and has spoken to many groups. He wrote a book about his experiences titled “Holocaust Survivor: Mike Jacob’s Triumph Over Tragedy.” It was published in 2001.
After his slide presentation he showed a few relics from his time in the death camps. A particularly poignant moment came when he held up a pair of baby shoes taken from the piles of thousands of shoes from death camp prisoners who had been murdered. He expressed an irrepressible sadness that spread to his audience when he said, “Nobody can deny.”
He said the same thing when he held up a small, square object. He explained it was a bar of soap made from human fat.
Should anyone deny the Holocaust ever happened while in his presence Jacobs will give that person an unforgettable history lesson based on his own experience.
After his presentation he and his wife Ginger Chesnick Jacobs took questions from the audience.
Jacobs is also founder of the Dallas Holocaust Museum the Center for Education and Tolerance, dedicated to the memory of the 11 million souls who perished at the hands of the Nazis from 1939 to 1945.
He has recently established a fund for the perpetual care and use of the museum. Bob McKnight, founding member of the Celina Area Heritage Association and organizer of Jacobs’ visit, presented Jacobs with a $500 check from the Heritage Association. It is the first donation to Jacobs’ museum fund.
Jacobs is also a major soccer fan. He has coached numerous teams and is a past president of the Dallas Soccer Association. He is also a former professional soccer referee. As a result of developing youth soccer in Dallas he was installed in the North Texas Soccdr Association Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1994 he served as spotter for the Women’s World Cup soccer games in Dallas and in 2003 as spotter for the Women’s World Cup games in Columbus, Ohio.
Following his presentation the audience adjourned to the Celina Heritage Museum where he signed copies of his book and answered more questions.
His audience understood his message to never forget the Holocaust and never let it happen again.
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