News & Impact

Philanthropist Bill Lowenberg z”l, who survived Auschwitz, spent much of his life educating children, grandchildren, and countless others about the lessons of the Holocaust. Two years after his death, the JFCS Holocaust Center renamed its survivor speaker program as the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau, in tribute to his legacy of courage and leadership.

“It was very important to my father that young people understand the Holocaust and that they never forget. He saw the impact that eyewitness testimonies had on students,” says Susan Lowenberg, Bill’s daughter.

In tribute to her father, Susan and her spouse, Joyce Newstat, dedicated a significant gift from their philanthropic fund to establish the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau for Holocaust Education Fund, a Named Endowment Fund at JFCS. Their generosity helps to ensure that young people throughout the Bay Area will hear survivors’ stories of moral courage for years to come.

“The two Holocaust-related institutions that my father felt closest to were the JFCS Holocaust Center, locally, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, nationally,” says Susan.

Each year, members of the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau, which now includes survivors and descendants of survivors, share their personal stories in classrooms, institutions, companies, and community venues, promoting tolerance, diversity, and countering hatred.

“I teach young people to have compassion and remain aware of what’s happening in the world,” says AnneMarie Yellin, a survivor who has talked to thousands of students over the years. “I tell them that they can make a difference.”

Learn more about the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau of the JFCS Holocaust Center >

If you would like to establish a Named Endowment Fund, please contact [email protected] or 415‑449‑3858.