Jeff Beder was born in 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is married to Heidi Rattner with two grown daughters (Joy and Beth) and two grandchildren (Arthur and Gwen). In 1972 he graduated from Washington High School and earned his Master’s in Library Science from UWM in 2008. Currently he is a library at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Jeff earned Holocaust certificates from Yad Vashem, Echoes and Reflections, and Zekelman Holocaust Center. He used to accompany his father and Howard Melton (another Holocaust survivor) to schools around Milwaukee and Eau Claire as they spoke to students. He believes in educating people (especially the young) about the uniqueness of the Holocaust and also the similarities to other genocides and atrocities.