The Holocaust, Tikkun Olam, And Three Generations Of Humanitarian Women

Caryl Stern, the renowned human rights activist, is the third generation of women in her family whose lives were shaped by the Holocaust. Her grandmother, Mignon Langnas, was a nurse in Vienna when the Nazis invaded. Facing an agonizing decision, she sent her two young children on a ship to the U.S., opting to stay with her ailing parents and to take care of her patients in a Jewish children’s hospital, navigating constant risk of deportation and death.

Caryl’s mother, Manuela Stern, crossed the ocean at the age of six and once here, lived in an orphanage on the lower East side of Manhattan. Manuela’s experience contributed to her becoming a passionate civic activist and educator. For these three women, tikkun olam (Hebrew for “to heal the world”) is now part of their DNA.

Join the Museum and The Olga Lengyel Institute for a fascinating conversation between Caryl and Manuela about the impact of the Holocaust on three generations of women. The program will be moderated by NBC’s senior legal and investigative correspondent Cynthia McFadden.

Register for event HERE

Public programming at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy C. Hochul and the New York State Legislature; a Humanities New York CARES Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act; and other generous donors.