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 Photo Credit: Ed Kirwan Lucille was assisted by Harriet Hyman Chamberlain. Harriet holds a doctoral degree in English literature from the University of California. She writes: "Before researching and working through the painful, yet inspiring, realities of Cecilia Landau's life, I could view the Holocaust as an anomaly, an erratic, irrational eruption of abhorrent group behavior. I now understand the Holocaust as the result of rationally determined government policies, rationally acted upon, by ordinary individuals. This realization changes my life: I am free to choose for or against, or ignore, the dehumanization of fellow human beings; I am not free to disclaim responsibility for my choice." |
Lucille Eichengreen was
born Cecilia Landau in Hamburg, in 1925. A survivor of
the Lodz Ghetto and Auschwitz, Neuengamme and
Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, she fled to Paris in
1945 and then, in 1946, made her way to New York, where
she met her husband, Dan Eichengreen. In the following
years, she worked as an insurance agent while she
finished her education. In 1949, the Eichengreens moved
to Berkeley, California, where their sons, Barry and
Martin, were born. Now retired, she writes and speaks
about the Holocaust at schools, colleges, and
universities. The prestigious School Library Journal selected Lucille Eichengreen's From Ashes to Life from 1500 books as a most valuable and most important teaching tool for students. Ms. Eichengreen has lectured for many years in schools, colleges and universities coast to coast in the United States, and in Germany at a no-fee basis. From Ashes to Life is testimony to Lucille Eichengreen's strength and her will to embrace life. She describes in great detail both the horrible conditions she endured and the camaraderie with other Jews that enabled her to survive. At a time when increasing numbers of people lack knowledge about the Holocaust, and some even deny that it happened, this memoir brings the nightmare of that time into clear focus for readers today. |