5 things to know about Henia Lewin before she tells her story at WashU

Published March 22, 2026

Holocaust survivor Henia Lewin was just a toddler when her life became a story of hiding, survival and improbable reunion. On Monday, March 23, she brings that story to Washington University, offering Jewish St. Louis a chance to hear firsthand testimony from someone whose earliest memories are tied to one of history’s darkest chapters.

Here are five things to know before you go:

She survived because strangers chose courage

Lewin was born in Kovno, Lithuania, in January 1940. By the time she was 18 months old, Nazi forces had invaded, and her family was forced into the Kovno Ghetto.

Her survival depended on a decision no parent should ever have to make. Her parents arranged for her to be smuggled out and hidden by Lithuanian Christian acquaintances, separating from their young daughter in hopes she might live.

Her story didn’t end with liberation

After surviving the war, Lewin’s family joined the long and uncertain journey faced by many survivors. They traveled through Poland to a Displaced Persons camp in Germany before immigrating to Israel in 1949. A few years later, the family moved again, settling in Montreal in 1953.

She chose education as her response to history

Lewin spent much of her professional life teaching Jewish history, language and identity. She taught in Jewish day schools, camps and synagogues in both Canada and the United States.

She was also recognized nationally for her work in Jewish education, receiving a Covenant Award for her contributions to the field.

She represents a generation we are rapidly losing

Each year, there are fewer Holocaust survivors able to share their stories in person. Events like this one increasingly serve not just as educational programs but as living connections to history.

The most important thing to bring is attention

If you attend, go in knowing this is not just a history lecture. Survivor talks often focus less on dates and more on choices, resilience and what it means to carry memory forward.

The real takeaway usually isn’t just what happened. It’s what responsibility listeners carry afterward.

Event Info

What: Henia Lewin
Where: Women’s Building Formal Lounge on Washington University’s Danforth Campus
When: 7 p.m. Monday, March 23
How much: The event is free and open to the public, with a light reception following.
More info: Students can RSVP by texting “Henny” to 314-334-4080. WashU faculty, staff and community members should RSVP to Jackie Levey, WashU Hillel CEO, at [email protected].