Our Story
As a Holocaust Educator, I am inspired by my father, US military intelligence officer, trained at Fort Ritchie and assigned to interrogate Nazi prisoners of war. My memoir features Dad’s letters to my mother Estelle expressing the horrors he saw in the death camps, including the discovery of an underground death/work camp at Nordhausen. My mother’s love letters kept him sane. Rising from Eastern European Jewish immigrant roots, Harvard educations, and wartime experiences, my family left me a legacy of tikkun olam (Hebrew meaning repair of the world). Their letters and those of a Polish Holocaust Survivor are now a radio theater play: Untold, Stories of a World War II Liberator, and are archived in the American Jewish Archives where Dad was Chief Financial Officer.
Hear Aaron Levine’s interview about his World War II experience
Hear Estelle’s love letter to Aaron
I write about returning to the States from Bermuda so that we children could grow up in the largely Jewish community of Great Neck, New York. From there, my studies took me to Radcliffe, Harvard Divinity School, and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. I share my work for Jewish agencies, my Holocaust programs, and passion for cultural diversity.
CLICK for Tanenbaum
Center for Interreligious Understanding: Interview with Deborah Levine, “The Liberator’s Daughter”.
CLICK for documentary: UNTOLD, Stories of a World War II Liberator.
REVIEWS
- Sharon R, Verified Amazon Review: “A powerful and moving memoir that intertwines history and personal narrative.”
- John P, Goodreads: “An unforgettable insight into the war through the lens of love and resilience.”
- Historical Book Society: “Deborah Levine has painted a vivid picture of both tragedy and triumph.”
- Elizabeth T, Verified Reader: “I was deeply touched by the heartfelt letters and their historical context.”
The story of courage, love, and legacy resonates deeply in every chapter. Deborah Levine’s work reminds us of the importance of humanity amidst the horrors of war.
