“Leon Malmed: A French Holocaust Survivor Speaks”
In Conversation with Core Humanities’ Jean Sanford Distinguished Professor Jamie McSpadden
University of Nevada, Reno
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 4:30 pm
Earlier this week, SLTWYC member Leon Malmed spoke to a crowded auditorium at the University of Nevada, Reno. He addressed the history of Antisemitism and shared his personal experiences, speaking about his parents’ deportation and subsequent deaths at the Auschwitz concentration and death camp. He and his sister had been hidden by a French Christian couple and their two sons. He recounted the heroic promise made by their neighbors who, at the risk of their own lives, chose to care for and protect Leon and his sister throughout the three-year duration of the German occupation.
Leon and his sister, Rachel Malmed, survived famine and the constant fear for their lives. He spoke of finding joy in small things, such as receiving an orange for Christmas, but most of all, he found comfort in the loving and courageous acts of the neighbors who saved their lives. He encouraged the students to value the privileges that come with freedom, especially the gift of education. He also implored them to study history, so they could take a stand for peace.
