Bearing Witness Across Generations: The Austrian Heritage Collection at 30
Image: Ruben Braunschmid | Gedenkdiener in 2014/15 attending a meeting of the Stammtisch with several Holocaust survivors.
June 15, 2026 | 6 PM | Leo Baeck Institute | 15 West 16th Street
TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
Join us for an evening marking the 30th anniversary of the Austrian Heritage Collection (AHC), a long-standing initiative dedicated to preserving the stories of Austrian-Jewish emigrants who fled Nazi persecution and rebuilt their lives in North America. Established in 1996 through a collaboration between the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, the GEDENKDIENST association, and the Leo Baeck Institute New York, the project has documented more than three decades of personal histories through oral history interviews, questionnaires, and archival materials. As the generation of survivors and eyewitnesses passes away, the Austrian Heritage Collection is entering a new phase. Increasingly, the project engages with the children and relatives of emigrants and survivors – the so-called second generation – whose perspectives offer new insights into memory, identity, and the transmission of historical experience. This anniversary event serves both as a celebration of the Collection’s achievements and as a reflection on its future mission.
About the Event
Nina Glueckselig, Leonie Eidinger, and Beatrice Segal, all members of the second generation, will share the stories of their parents and families, whose lives were profoundly shaped by displacement, persecution, and migration. Their personal reflections explore what it means to carry forward family histories, preserve the memory of those who experienced Nazi persecution, and bear witness in an era increasingly removed from direct testimony. Together, the speakers will discuss the evolving role of the Austrian Heritage Collection, the responsibilities of remembrance across generations, and the importance of ensuring that these histories continue to resonate with future audiences.