Published in the Delta County Independent on November 24, 2025 by Frank M. Witowski, Jr.
Lest we forget, and history repeats itself.
A mesmerized audience that overflowed the Crawford Library’s community space listened to the sentiments of Holocaust survivor Liz Lilien. A sharp, vibrant 91-year-old resident of Crawford, Lilien shared vivid memories of her childhood and experiences during one of the most troubled times in world history and dedicated her talk to the memory of Susan Hansen, who invited her to talk to the large crowd on Nov. 20 before passing away on Oct. 21.
Lilien said she was just four years old when things related to the Holocaust started to escalate in her hometown of Straubing, Germany. Her sister had to take a half-hour train ride to school because Jews were prohibited from attending school with others, and then people were not allowed to shop at her family’s dry goods store because they were Jewish.