Ruth and Henry Yelgin: Holocaust Survivors and Resistance Fighters In-Person
Lou Yelgin is a child of Holocaust survivors. His parents survived the Nazis as members of a partisan resistance group in the Nacha Forest near Eishyshok, Lithuania. After being liberated by the Soviet Army, they emigrated to the U.S. in 1949, rebuilt their lives, and raised two children in the Boston area.
Throughout his youth, Lou heard his parents tell about their Holocaust experiences. Since his parents tended to socialize with other Holocaust survivors, Lou heard many different survival tales that ranged from the concentration camps to being sheltered by a Christian family. These stories fueled his interest in the Holocaust and a responsibility to retell the stories to future generations.
Lou is a Keene State College Cohen Center Fellow who graduated from KSC’s Summer Institute and Advanced Seminars on Holocaust and Genocide Studies. He recently taught a class on Jewish Resistance at Keene State College and has presented on the Holocaust at numerous high schools and middle schools throughout New England. His research interests are Jewish Resistance and Children of Survivors
