The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers, gallery educators, and community of Holocaust survivors mourn the passing of our friend Fanya Gottesfeld Heller.

Fanya was a survivor, philanthropist, and author who went through the pain of recounting her own experiences in order to teach others—an incredible gift to every student and educator she encountered.

Her book Love in a World of Sorrow: A Teenage Girl’s Holocaust Memoirs documents her remarkable story, and its recent adaptation for schoolchildren Hidden: A True Story of the Holocaust ensures that young readers will continue to learn from her far into the future.

We, too, learned from Fanya’s spirited dedication to Holocaust education and Jewish learning. We will miss her dearly, and we wish to extend our deepest condolences to her family.

Fanya at the 2009 Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Conference. Photo by Melanie Einzig.

We invite you to watch Fanya speaking in the clip below from the 15th Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Conference for Educators. As noted on her personal website, fanyaheller.com, her messages of hope and tolerance will continue to resonate through her words.