For one Holocaust survivor, a name was the difference between life and death during World War II, a harrowing story detailed in the new book Your Name is Renée: Ruth Kapp Hartz Story as a Hidden Child in Nazi-Occupied France by Stacy Cretzmeyer.
The subject of Cretzmeyer’s book and Holocaust survivor – Hartz, will share her experiences as a hidden child in France during the Holocaust. The event, held at Bucks County Community College (BCCC), is free and open to the public. It will take place on Thursday, November 13, at 1:30 p.m.
Forced to change her name to Renée, Hartz learned at a young age how to conceal her identity so she would be safe from the Nazis, endured separation from her family and lived in an orphanage, uncertain of their fate until France’s liberation.
The program will also be streamed live online. To learn more, email sb@bucks.edu.
The event takes place in person in the Gallagher Room on the Newtown campus and will also be streamed live online. It’s presented by the School of Social and Behavioral Science and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies certificate program, in collaboration with the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center.
Hartz will be joined in-person by co-writers David and Jenny Heitler-Klevans, who will perform some excerpts from their musical “Hidden” based on Hartz’s story.
“We’re so grateful to welcome Ruth Hartz and the creators of ‘Hidden’ to share this moving story with our college community,” said Paula Raimondo, professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. “Hearing directly from a survivor helps us deepen our understanding of humanity and justice today.”
Raimondo added that the College’ s Holocaust and Genocide Studies program — the only certificate of its kind offered at a community college in the state — “reflects our commitment to making this critical learning accessible to all and to empowering our community to stand against prejudice, indifference, and hate.”
The program is presented thanks to a generous donation in memory of Charles and Janet Stern.
The Gallagher Room is located inside the Rollins Center building on the Newtown Campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940, where there is ample free parking.
Click here for directions and a campus map.
Click here to register to watch the event live online via Zoom. .
For those interested in a deeper dive into the subject, the course Rescue and Resistance (course code HGNS 140) will be offered online this spring semester starting February 9, Raimondo noted.
“Students will explore why some people help while others ‘stand by’ as well as the varied forms that resistance can take, and how these powerful responses to genocide and human suffering can help us better understand both our past and present,” said Raimondo.
For more information about the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Certificate program at BCCC, including current course offerings, contact the School of Social and Behavioral Science at sb@bucks.edu or 215-968-8270.