Ben Lesser is an author, public speaker, and a 95-year-old Holocaust
survivor. He has dedicated his days and nights to encouraging universal remembrance for future
generations. Few people can be considered a human miracle, but Ben is one of them. From his
immediate family of seven, Ben and his sister Lola were the only survivors of the Holocaust. He
had experienced four concentration camps, two death marches, and two death trains. In a way, he
had spent five years in a living hell. By his admission, he lost nearly the whole of his family.
However, true to his character, Ben decided that his primary mission was to educate, prevent, and
prevail.
In 1995, his labor of love commenced. He would go on to pen a biography by the
name “Living a Life That Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream,” and said the book
highlights his liberation and the aftermath of the Holocaust. It was only in 2009 that the Zachor
Holocaust Remembrance Foundation was created; it encourages today’s youth to share the stories
of survival still long after survivors are gone. Ben traveled to address schoolchildren,
businesspeople, synagogues, and churches about his life. After each presentation,
he always gave a parting gift to everyone who had listened to his message—a gold-colored pin
that spelled out in Hebrew letters the word “ZACHOR.” In so doing, Ben would embody a
commitment to learning by establishing the Zachor Holocaust Curriculum. It’s an interactive
teaching tool with turn-key lesson plans, videos, photography, and personal anecdotes. In her
fight against hatred, Lesser initiated the I-SHOUT-OUT project, whose main goal is to amass six
million SHOUT-OUTS for the six million people who were silenced during the Holocaust.
Finally, in light of the state of our nation today, Ben has shot a PSA to speak out against
antisemitism that he would like to run in six million homes.
For more information about Ben and the Foundation: Non-Profit Holocaust Survivors
Foundation (zachorfoundation.org).
