Through slides of family pictures, documents, maps, and first-hand accounts in letters written by Markus and Anna and members of the Mattes family, we learn of the couple’s witness to the beginnings of the Holocaust, and their desperate attempts to escape Nazi Germany to join their children, who found a home in the Quad Cities. These attempts, which ultimately failed, are haunting and echo the experience of many Jewish families during this time.

Markus and Anna Mattes, a Polish Jewish couple, moved to Mainz, Germany in 1908 to raise their family. Their story is told by the grandchildren of Markus and Anna, John Mattes and Debbi Nitekman Kohl, who also plays piano during the performance. Translations are by Diana Reiss Gingell. The story of the Mattes family, as told through their own words from 1938-1941, honors the memory of those who did not survive. This program speaks to universal and current themes of trauma, diversity, and resiliency.

This is a free event with a suggested donation and RVSP highly encouraged.