Holocaust survivor Eva Perlman shared her experiences during World War II, recounting to a packed audience in Gilbert Hall how she spent years hiding from Nazi persecution across occupied France.

The event, held on May 27, was organized by StandWithUs in collaboration with Pali senior and Jewish activist Shaya Soleimani, who said she wanted students to hear firsthand testimonies while survivors are still able to share their stories.

“There aren’t many survivors left,” Soleimani said, adding that many Holocaust stories extended beyond concentration camps, as some families survived by hiding for years.

Perlman was born in Germany in 1932, just over eight months before Adolf Hitler rose to power as the new chancellor of Germany. As antisemitism intensified, her family fled to France, where they moved repeatedly as Nazi occupation spread across the country. Perlman said her survival depended on “many, many miracles.”

One of the first miracles Perlman cited occurred when Nazi soldiers occupied the apartment where her family was hiding, specifically her parents’ bedroom. Because her father was fighting in the French Resistance, her mother slept in the attic while Perlman and her two younger brothers lived alongside the soldiers for two weeks.

Perlman was in constant fear of her own situation knowing soldiers would typically execute the inhabitants and burn the house that they occupied before leaving. Fortunately, the soldiers departed abruptly without harming her family. Whether or not they knew the family was Jewish remains unknown; either way, Perlman said that their survival felt miraculous.

Another moment Perlman defined as a blessing occurred while her father was away assisting the French Resistance. After he sent a letter asking for more clothes, Perlman’s mother rented a bicycle and traveled down a mountain to deliver them. However, the bicycle’s brakes failed, causing her to crash before reaching the bottom–without knowing that Nazi soldiers were stationed at the foot of the mountain. Although the accident injured her, Perlman said the crash saved her mother’s life by preventing her from encountering the soldiers directly.

At the same time, Perlman’s father was attempting to return home to warn the family that Nazi forces had reoccupied the area; if they saw Perlman’s mother carrying men’s clothes on her bike, she would almost certainly be executed on the spot, Perlman said. While searching for transportation, Perlman’s father encountered a stranger who told him a carriage was heading up the mountain to assist two injured women. When he boarded the carriage, he discovered that one of the injured women was in fact his wife.

Perlman strongly believes that Holocaust stories should be shared and remembered. She published a memoir in 2019 titled Eva’s Uncommon Life: Guided by Miracles, available on Amazon. She also speaks frequently at the Museum of Tolerance and the Holocaust Museum L.A. among other Jewish institutions and schools.

After the event, students had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Perlman. Senior Shira Aryeh explained that she connected with Perlman on a personal level.

Aryeh shared that her great-grandmother, Dina Davidovich, was sent to Auschwitz at age 13 and escaped two gas chamber murder attempts, an experience Aryeh also described as “a miracle.” Later Davidovich published a memoir, Return to Life, in Hungarian and Spanish that Aryeh’s sister, Dena–named after Davidovich–recently translated into English.

“I am so grateful that I was able to hear her speak and share my story with her as well,” Aryeh said. “I was immersed. It was deeply educational and enlightening.”

Aryeh said that she sees parallels between antisemitism during the Holocaust and current times, citing a recent American Jewish Committee study which found that after a rise in violent attacks on American Jews, the vast majority feel less safe in the United States.

“Antisemitism is rampant,” Aryeh said. “Preserving these stories are vital, not only to remember what Jews went through, but to never let history repeat. Her story gave me hope.”

Aryeh bought a copy of Perlman’s book and plans on reading it soon.

By organizing events like these, Soleimani said she hopes to “inspire youth to speak up and spread awareness about Judaism.” 

Perlman, now 94, concluded with a similar sentiment, saying: “We have to tell our stories. This is what I live for.”