Arts & Entertainment
Holocaust Survivor Magda Brown Receives Award of Excellence
Although Magda passed on July 7, her work in Holocaust education will continue to have a profound impact for years to come.
The late Holocaust Survivor Magda Brown is a recipient of the 2020 American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Award of Excellence, an award that recognizes leaders in collecting, preserving and interpreting history to make lessons of past more accessible and meaningful to all. Although Magda passed on July 7, her work in Holocaust education will continue to have a profound impact for years to come.
Magda’s decades of speaking about the Holocaust to organizations across the world are a true testament to her commitment to the teaching of its history, not just for history’s sake but with the goal of connecting to current day and showing how everyone has a role in making the world a better place. Magda was a Survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center and Münchmühle, a sub-camp of Buchenwald concentration camp. Although her experiences are horrendous and painful, she believed that her story must be told.
Most notably, Magda was in Pittsburgh one day after the Tree of Life shooting, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. She was already scheduled to speak nearby in Pittsburgh, and many thought this act of terror would halt the event. Magda was determined to spread her message, “now the world needs to hear the message even more. Let’s go.”
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Through the years of speaking at schools, universities, churches, and synagogues, Magda has shared her story to over 100,000 people. While living in Illinois, Magda went all across the globe to speak, even as far as New Zealand in 2010.
“There are not many who could match the strength Magda has when it comes to spreading her story,” said Susan Abrams, CEO of the Museum. “Nothing ever stood in her way from speaking, whether it be health or even an act of terrorism.”
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The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is a not-for-profit organization focused in preserving and promoting history. For 75 years, the AASLH has awarded the Leadership in History Awards for those who are best in their field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. This year, there are fifty-seven national awardees who will receive an Award of Excellence.
