From Nazi Oppression to Holocaust Education: One Family’s Journey. Public Talk by Eva Aigner, with her daughter Sue Johnson

Czech-born Eva Aigner’s close-knit Orthodox family was shattered by Nazi forces when she was merely a child. After the deportation of her father to a slave labor camp, 7-year-old Eva Aigner was confined to the Budapest ghetto with her mother and sister, where they endured starvation and narrowly avoided execution. Following the war, Eva met and married Leslie “Les” Aigner (1929-2021), a fellow Holocaust survivor who had endured Nazi-run ghettos and camps as a teenager. In 1956, Eva and Leslie immigrated to Oregon, where they raised a family and led efforts to further Holocaust education.

During her evening talk at OSU, Eva Aigner will share her family’s experiences of deprivation and determination within the Budapest ghetto. Sue Johnson (daughter of Eva and Leslie) will join her mother on stage and recount Leslie Aigner’s story of survival through four Nazi camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau.

There will be a Q&A after her talk.  Questions may be sent to events@oregonstate.edu, preferably by May 3. 

This presentation is co-sponsored by Hillel.