Gannon University's history department is bringing Holocaust survivor Margit Meissner to the Erie and Gannon
communities. Meissner will share her story on Wednesday
Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Yehl Ballroom, Gannon University.
Through connections made possible by Gannon's Erie-GAINS (Gannon's
Alliance to Improve Neighborhood Sustainability), Meissner will
also share her experiences with high school students in our
community.
Born in Austria and raised in Prague, Meissner fled to France
when the Nazis annexed Czechoslovakia only to encounter the Nazi
invasion in the summer of 1940. In her talk, Meissner will recount
events from her life as represented in "Margit's Story," her
autobiography. Meissner will discuss her flight (by bicycle) from
her Nazi pursuers and how she rescued her mother from a German
detention camp.
After a hair-raising escape from the Nazis, Meissner came
penniless to the United States. Beginning as a dress finisher, her
varied career took her to Hollywood, the Nuremberg war crimes trials, the American Consulates in Budapest, Hungary and
Alexandria, and the United Nations in Argentina. She eventually
settled in the Washington DC suburbs where she worked for 20 years
for the Montgomery County (Md.) school system. When she retired she was
saluted as an outstanding advocate for children with disabilities.
Meissner's story describes the risk and daring of one woman's
triumph over adversity.
This event is sponsored by Gannon's Activities Programing Board
and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It is free and
open to the public.