07/02/2026
For the fourth time, we gathered for the Samuel and Edith Fleischman Summer Academy for Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention.
Throughout the Summer Academy, participants explored Oświęcim - Miasto Pokoju - City of Peace, learned about the history of the local Jewish community, and visited the Synagogue at the Oshpitzin Museum, the Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz, and the Centrum św. Maksymiliana w Harmężach.
The Academy is made possible through the generous support of Edward Fleischman. Reflecting on the legacy of his parents, Samuel and Edith Fleischman—both Polish Holocaust survivors—Ed shared:
"This academy was created to honor the legacy of my parents, Samuel and Edith Fleischman, both Polish Holocaust survivors. Having all three of my granddaughters—Sylvie, Georgie, and Emma—here with me today is a living testament to their survival and a reminder of exactly why we must carry their memories forward.
My mother, Edith Jacobowitz, was born in Łódź, Poland, just 240 kilometers from Auschwitz... Emma is named after my mother. She was a seamstress, so when she and her family were forced into the Łódź Ghetto, she made clothes for German soldiers. She was transported to Auschwitz toward the end of the war, where she lost her entire family. Upon arriving at the camp, she stood in line with her sister. A guard sent my mother one way and her sister another, and my mother never saw her again. She was liberated by U.S. soldiers and eventually made her way to New York City. The war never really left her, and she spoke about it often. She was the toughest, hardest-working person I have ever known.
My father, Samuel Fleischman, was born in Galicia... Sylvie is named after my father. A gregarious man, he made his way to Paris, where he worked as a tailor and had a wife and daughter. They were deported from Paris, and he never saw them again. He was later imprisoned in a French internment camp outside Paris, escaped, and survived with the help of a courageous Jewish family who hid him in their apartment. Unlike my mother, he rarely spoke about his experiences during the war until the very end of his life. After the war, he also made his way to the United States.
I want to do all I can to help create a future where no one is made to suffer because of any aspect of their identity, as my parents did.
Thank you for being here—not just to honor the legacy of Samuel and Edith, but to help protect the future for Sylvie, Georgie, Emma, and all the generations to come."
Thank you to everyone who joined us for five intense and inspiring days filled with meaningful conversations, thoughtful reflection, and engaging discussions!
