Marion Blumenthal Lazan is the co-author (with Lila Perl) of Four Perfect Pebbles: a
Holocaust Story.
(The following is from a brochure publicizing Four Perfect Pebbles and Marion's Triumph, a
58-minute DVD or VHS color documentary produced by John Chua Productions, and narrated by
Debra Messing.)
Marion's memoir recalls the devastating years that shaped her childhood.
Following Hitler's rise to power, the Blumenthal family -- father, mother, Marion, and
her brother, Albert -- were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get
to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a
half years, the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps
that included Westerbork in Holland, and the notorious Bergen-Belsen in Germany.
Though they all survived the camps, Walter Blumenthal, the father, succumbed to
typhus just after the liberation.
It took three more years of struggle and waiting before Marion, Albert, and their
mother Ruth, at last obtained the necessary papers and boarded a ship for the United
States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage,
hope and the will to survive.
Holocaust Story.
(The following is from a brochure publicizing Four Perfect Pebbles and Marion's Triumph, a
58-minute DVD or VHS color documentary produced by John Chua Productions, and narrated by
Debra Messing.)
Marion's memoir recalls the devastating years that shaped her childhood.
Following Hitler's rise to power, the Blumenthal family -- father, mother, Marion, and
her brother, Albert -- were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get
to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a
half years, the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps
that included Westerbork in Holland, and the notorious Bergen-Belsen in Germany.
Though they all survived the camps, Walter Blumenthal, the father, succumbed to
typhus just after the liberation.
It took three more years of struggle and waiting before Marion, Albert, and their
mother Ruth, at last obtained the necessary papers and boarded a ship for the United
States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage,
hope and the will to survive.
September 11, 2006
At 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, Marion Lazan will tell her story
again, this time to anyone anywhere in the world with access
to the Internet.
We encourage teachers to allow their students to spend this
hour listening to Mrs. Lazan's gripping account of both the
unending horror of the Holocaust and the undeniable triumph
of the human spirit. We encourage public librarians to offer
this program to their patrons of any age -- simply log in the
computer, and allow groups to listen, in real time, to this
memoir of courage and hope. We encourage everyone with
Internet access to observe this September 11 with Mrs. Lazan
and reflect on her message of tolerance, understanding,
respect, and joy.
At 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, Marion Lazan will tell her story
again, this time to anyone anywhere in the world with access
to the Internet.
We encourage teachers to allow their students to spend this
hour listening to Mrs. Lazan's gripping account of both the
unending horror of the Holocaust and the undeniable triumph
of the human spirit. We encourage public librarians to offer
this program to their patrons of any age -- simply log in the
computer, and allow groups to listen, in real time, to this
memoir of courage and hope. We encourage everyone with
Internet access to observe this September 11 with Mrs. Lazan
and reflect on her message of tolerance, understanding,
respect, and joy.
| How It Will Work The web conferencing software we will be using for the September 11 event should work on computers running any of the recent versions of MS Windows OS (anything above Win 98). Although it seems to work best in the MS OS environment, it should also work with Mac OS 10x, or Linux. Of course, the computer has to be connected to the Internet, and it needs to have a way to output sound. Everyone in the online room can text chat to communicate. If you wish to use Voice-over IP, you need to have a microphone connected (or embedded in) your computer. The inexpensive microphones available from discount stores for less than $10 seem to work just fine. A lot of port and firewall information can be found at: Talking Communities The first time you enter an OPAL online room, the operating system you are using may ask for permission to automatically download and install a small, safe software plug-in. If your computing environment does not allow the automatic installation of software, you can manually download and install the software from: Conference Software The best way to check all this out is to actually enter the room. Here is the no-password required link into the room we will be using: The Online Auditorium |
Marion Lazan
 |
Marion Blumenthal
Lazan, author and
lecturer, was born in
Bremen, Germany and
arrived in the United
States at age 13, three
years after the end of
World War II. Because
of her inability to
speak English, Marion
was placed in the 4th
grade with 9 year olds.
Through perseverance
and determination, she
was able to be
graduated 5 years later
at age 18 from Peoria
Central High School in
Illinois, ranking 8th in a
class of 267 students.
Married immediately
upon high school
graduation, Marion
entered Bradley
University on
scholarship. In her
adult life, Marion
worked in the medical
field and did volunteer
work and community
service.
Mrs. Lazan began
speaking publicly about
her Holocaust
experiences in 1979;
her memoir, Four
Perfect Pebbles was
published in 1996.
More than 500,000
students and adults in
schools, organizations
and houses of worship
in 27 states, the
District of Columbia,
Germany and Israel
have heard her
messages of tolerance
and respect.
Mrs. Lazan gives a
moving, first hand
account of the
Blumenthal family's life
from events preceding
Kristallnacht, to
imprisonment in Nazi
concentration camps,
and finally liberation.
She asks her audiences
to be tolerant of
others and not
stereotype individuals
based on religious
belief, color, race, or
national origin. She
stresses the
importance of positive
thinking as well as
creativity and inner
strength to overcome
adversity. She warns
her listeners to be
true to themselves and
not blindly follow the
leader.
Marion Blumenthal
Lazan lives with her
husband, Nathaniel, in
Hewlett, New York.
They have 3 married
children and 9
beautiful grandchildren.
Lazan, author and
lecturer, was born in
Bremen, Germany and
arrived in the United
States at age 13, three
years after the end of
World War II. Because
of her inability to
speak English, Marion
was placed in the 4th
grade with 9 year olds.
Through perseverance
and determination, she
was able to be
graduated 5 years later
at age 18 from Peoria
Central High School in
Illinois, ranking 8th in a
class of 267 students.
Married immediately
upon high school
graduation, Marion
entered Bradley
University on
scholarship. In her
adult life, Marion
worked in the medical
field and did volunteer
work and community
service.
Mrs. Lazan began
speaking publicly about
her Holocaust
experiences in 1979;
her memoir, Four
Perfect Pebbles was
published in 1996.
More than 500,000
students and adults in
schools, organizations
and houses of worship
in 27 states, the
District of Columbia,
Germany and Israel
have heard her
messages of tolerance
and respect.
Mrs. Lazan gives a
moving, first hand
account of the
Blumenthal family's life
from events preceding
Kristallnacht, to
imprisonment in Nazi
concentration camps,
and finally liberation.
She asks her audiences
to be tolerant of
others and not
stereotype individuals
based on religious
belief, color, race, or
national origin. She
stresses the
importance of positive
thinking as well as
creativity and inner
strength to overcome
adversity. She warns
her listeners to be
true to themselves and
not blindly follow the
leader.
Marion Blumenthal
Lazan lives with her
husband, Nathaniel, in
Hewlett, New York.
They have 3 married
children and 9
beautiful grandchildren.