Nate Leipciger Holocaust Survivor

The Southern Georgian Bay Jewish Community and the Collingwood Public Library invite the community to a special speaking engagement with Holocaust survivor and educator Nate Leipciger for Jewish Heritage Month Event.

Born in Chorzów, Poland on February 28, 1928, Nate Leipciger was nine years old when the German army invaded Poland in 1939. His family was forced from their home and relocated to Sosnowiec, which became a de facto ghetto. Eventually deported to Auschwitz, Nate was separated from his mother and sister, whom he never saw again. Through courage, resilience, and the determination of his father—who managed to keep Nate by his side—he survived a succession of Nazi concentration camps including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Funfteichen, Gross-Rosen, Flossenbürg, Leonberg, Mühldorf am Inn, and Waldlager.

Nate and his father were liberated on May 2, 1945. In 1948, they immigrated to Canada, where Nate built a life rooted in family, community, and education. He later married Bernice, and together they raised a family that now includes children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

For more than 30 years, Nate has dedicated himself to Holocaust education and remembrance. He co-founded the Toronto Holocaust Education and Memorial Centre and has participated in Canada’s March of the Living for more than two decades, sharing his testimony with students and communities across the country.

In recognition of his lifelong commitment to education and human rights, Nate has received the Meritorious Service Medal and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.

Join us as Nate shares his remarkable story and reflects on the enduring importance of remembrance, education, and confronting hatred and extremism in all its forms.