2024 First Person with Holocaust Survivor Theodora Klayman

Theodora Klayman remembers running hand-in-hand with her aunt and little brother to a neighbor’s house—hearing her aunt plead, before her arrest, “Please, take these children.” Less than two years earlier, Nazi collaborators in Croatia had arrested and imprisoned Theodora's parents—leaving the three-year-old in the care of her extended family. Sometimes caught in the middle of fierce battles, Theodora and her brother hid in the cellar or crouched in corners to avoid bullets that pierced through windows.

Watch to learn more about the lengths family and neighbors went to protect the young children, and discover what happened to their parents.

Hear about Theodora’s experiences in her own words, which were recorded live on May 15, 2024. First Person is a monthly, hour-long discussion with a Holocaust survivor that is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation.