This collection is dedicated as a living memorial for Leon S. Benson and all the survivors and victims of the atrocities of the Holocaust. Funds for this collection are provided by the family and friends of Mr. Benson.

The collection includes written and visual accounts of those who witnessed the Holocaust, plus information on the events of the Holocaust, camp experiences, and life after the Holocaust. There's material for elementary and high school students as well as adults, including circulating and reference books, videos, and CD-ROMs. The collection is especially beneficial to high school students, who study the Holocaust as part of their history curriculum.

Who is Leon S. Benson?

Shortly after his birth in Lodz, Poland, Leon moved with his family to Paris.  During the German Occupation, he and his family were deported and sent to the Auschwitz camp.  Separated from his family, Leon survived the harsh winter march to Buchenwald.  Liberated by the U.S. 5th Army in 1945, Leon was sent to a home for children survivors of the Holocaust in Paris where he learned he was the only one of his family to survive.  American relatives found his name on a list of survivors and invited him to the U.S.  He eventually settled in the Bay Area, met and married his wife, Lillian, and raised a family of two sons, Mark and Paul, and a daughter, Janette.  Mr. Benson died in January 1999.