“Let this be a day of reflection, remembrance and forgiveness. Today is Yom HaShoah which honors and remembers the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their supporters during the Holocaust. Between 1939 and 1945 over two-thirds of European Jewry was murdered.  Whatever happens to one human being happens to all of us.” -Barbara Hal


El Paso has been home to a great number of holocaust survivors who came here after World War II. These survivors  became melded within the El Paso community, and they and their children have played an important part in building El Paso into the city we enjoy today. Three Holocaust survivors who suffered in Nazi concentration camps remain with us.  We will be highlighting their stories, as told on KSCE-TV’s “Decision Point”, over the next few weeks. Today we begin with the story of Henry Kellen, founder of the El Paso Holocaust Museum. In the coming days we will also present Sarah Hauptman and David Kaplan, as they tell the story of the horrific years during the Nazi holocaust.  These are stories of immense courage, endurance and hope against the most inhuman cruelty and depravity imaginable. We honor these Special Friends, along with each person who suffered in the Holocaust.

You can help support the El Paso Holocaust Museum here
You can help support the Jewish Federation of El Paso here
You can help support impoverished Holocaust survivors abroad through Chevra here

The first part of Henry Kellen’s story is below, you can view the second part here