News Release| American Communities Program; Cal State L.A.

February 16, 2010

Media Advisory: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m.

Holocaust survivor, youngest on Schlinder’s List to recount his journey

American Communities Program to host CSULA alumnus Leon Leyson

Los Angeles, CA – Holocaust survivor and retired educator Leon Leyson will present “Memories of Survival, The Holocaust, and Schindler’s List” on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m., in the University-Student Union, Los Angeles Room, on the Cal State L.A. campus.

Leyson will share his journey from Holocaust survivor to a Los Angeles school teacher, recount his experiences of persecution and survival, and speak on their impact on the present.

Leyson, previously known as Leib Lejzon, was 10 years old when the war started and 13 when his father brought him into Oskar Schindler’s enamelware factory, DEF. Schindler was the German industrialist credited with saving more than 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Leyson, identified as No. 69128, was the youngest survivor on Schindler’s List.

After World War II, Leyson spent three years in a displaced-persons camp in Germany. He came to the United States in 1949 and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Afterward, he attended Los Angeles City College and then graduated from Los Angeles State College (now Cal State L.A.) with a bachelor’s degree in 1958. He taught industrial arts at Huntington Park High School for 39 years and is now retired.

Leyson was recently featured in The Jewish Week article at http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a16736/News/New_York.html.

For more about Leyson, go to http://www.deathcamps.info/Leyson/ or http://www.oskarschindler.dk/leyson.htm.  

Sponsored by the Folb Family, the free public event is organized organized by the American Communities Program (ACP), an initiative jointly funded by Cal State L.A. and the National Endowment for the Humanities, to examine the formation of American identities and cultures.  The ACP devotes part of its focus to Jewish American Experiences and the study of the contributions of the Jewish community to the values, culture and history of the United States.

Seating is first-come, first-served. For event details, call the American Communities Program at Cal State L.A., (323) 343-6300.

Calendar listing:

What:  Holocaust survivor and retired educator Leon Leyson will present “Memories of Survival, The Holocaust, and Schindler’s List.”

When:  Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m.

Where:  University-Student Union, Los Angeles Room; on the Cal State L.A. campus.

Admission:  Free to the public.

Parking:  Public dispenser parking is available at the upper level of Parking Structure C. For campus map and directions, go to /univ/maps/cslamap.php

Details:  For more info, call (323) 343-6300 or visit /academic/al/acp/.

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