Steven Russek

Steven Russek is the son of Dora and Shimon Russek. Dora was survivor of the Holocaust. She was a devoted volunteer for ORT (a global education network driven by Jewish values), the Bialystoker Center and Home for the Aged, and the Grodner Friends Club. Shimon escaped into Soviet Asia where he was later conscripted into the Soviet Army. He was a decorated combat veteran of the Battle of Berlin. He was a successful industrial plumber in New York City. 

Steven speaks about Dora’s life in Poland prior to the Holocaust, during the German occupation, during her imprisonment in concentration camps (in particular Auschwitz-Birkenau), through liberation by US Forces, and reunification with her family in the United States. Steven discusses how hope and interdependent relationships helped Dora and others survive. 

Steven was born and raised in Brooklyn NY. After living in a number US cities, he moved to Milwaukee in 2002 with his wife Myra and their daughters. 

Watch Steven tell his story here: