Skip to main content

Show details

“It is possible to live through extreme circumstances, and choose to live a life of meaning, a life that matters.” Ben Lesser, from Krokaw, Poland, was 11 years old when the Nazis invaded. His family of seven fled but he went on to four concentration camps, two death trains, and one death march. He was liberated in Dachau in 1945. He and his older sister, Lola, were the only survivors. At age 18, he came to the United States. In 2009, he started the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation. As part of his foundation, he instituted “I-SHOUT OUT,” for anyone who wants to speak out against intolerance, injustice, racism, or bullying. This special keynote session includes the first Colorado screening of the film; a presentation by the filmmakers, including Ann Raskin, who worked with college students to create the film; comments by Ben Lesser’s daughter Gail Lesser Gerber; and a special Zoom presentation by 97-year-old Holocaust Survivor, Ben Lesser. At the end of the presentation, there will be an opportunity for some questions from the audience. This session was made possible through the generosity of Mr. David Pilkenton, the CMU Foundation, and the CMU Civic Forum.

More about the Holocaust Awareness Series:

The Holocaust Awareness Series is an interdisciplinary forum of events and seminars that focuses on the origins, experiences, and implications of genocide in the modern era. It considers not only the groups systematically targeted by the Nazi regime, but also at those victims of government-sponsored atrocities in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Iraq, and the Balkan region, as well as the genocides in southern Sudan, Myanmar, and China. Our goal is to unite local Grand Junction residents with the Colorado Mesa University academic community, emphasizing education, respect, and diversity. All events are free and open to the public. This 22nd Annual Series is dedicated to the CMU campus community as an opportunity for healing and a rededication to the seven values that form the core of our human-scale university.

Learn more about events during the 2025 Holocaust Awareness Series