JOHNSON CITY (Feb. 17, 2020) – East Tennessee State University’s Department of History will host a free public talk by Holocaust survivor Sonja Dubois on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. in Rogers-Stout Hall, room 118.
Born Clara van Thijin in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Oct. 19, 1940, Dubois became a Holocaust child survivor in July 1942, when her parents were deported to Auschwitz. She was adopted and raised by a Dutch foster family, first in the Netherlands and then in the United States, without fully being told about her biological family and true identity.
The Knoxville resident chronicled her life-long search for her identity in her book, “Finding Schifrah: The Journey of a Dutch Holocaust Child Survivor.”
Dubois’ speaking tour is sponsored by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event.
For more information, call the ETSU associate professor of history, at 423-439-4222. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.