the importance of daring to resist
never to be perpetrators
never to be bystanders.


Before we were chased into hiding,
he took me aside and said,
“If one of us should survive, the world
should know what happened to us.”
Please join Fanya for the launch and signing of her new book Hidden: A True Story of the Holocaust.
See detailsFor the six million Jews who perished,
including 1½ million children,
it is important to let our children know.
If we don’t teach them,
they cannot know.
Education is the key.
could not take away from us,
and what became so important to us,
was the freedom to hold on to
our knowledge and culture.
survivors remained silent,
cocooning their scars and pain
with unshed tears
and unheard cries.
The program included presentations by Samuel D. Kassow, the Charles H. Northam Professor of History at Trinity College and Dr. Irit Felsen, a well-known psychologist and researcher. To mark the eighteenth anniversary of the conference, The City Council issued a proclamation.
Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, sponsor of the conference since its inception, explained why the topic of this year’s conference held such importance for her and for all educators. “Obviously this is an issue close to my heart – not just because of what I went through but because I know that any teenager suffering racism and persecution is living a life where they feel cut off from themselves and their loved ones.”The speakers dealt with complicated issues from different perspectives to give the participants a better understanding of the traumatic impact that the Holocaust had on children and families as they fought for their survival.
Benji Hillman Guidance and Support CenterThe goal of the Center is to help lone soldiers, about to be discharged, become independent, productive and well-adjusted citizens. To further enhance the efforts of the Center, Fanya recently offered her support by adding additional living quarters to help them navigate the transition from military to civilian life.
The third floor of the Center was recently dedicated to Fanya, with special thanks for her support.
To learn more about the Benji Hillman Guidance and Support Center, visit www.benjihillman.org or view this brief YouTube film.
that if I didn’t tell my story
from the beginning to end,
my children, my grandchildren
and future generations
would never know the truth of my survival.
Fanya’s primary role in life is that of mother, and she views the continuity of her family and it’s traditions as the love of her life. They were the inspiration for her memoirs, Love in a World of Sorrow.It is important to Fanya that her children know her story. It is a way of allowing her children to know her better and to know the truth about what happened during her years in hiding. It is her testimony; her personal account of a very painful journey chronicled for generations to come.Fanya was honored at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – Generation to Generation 25th Annual Dinner in November 2013. Her daughter, Dr. Jacqueline Heller Kahana represented the family in a moving tribute to her mother. Read Jackie’s presentation
Fanya takes joy in the lives of her three children, eight grand children and 20+ great grandchildren.