Join Tom Burke for a talk based on his book, Evil Must not Have the Last Word: The Life of Mary Wygodski.

Mary Wygodski was born in in Vilna, Poland, in 1925. She lost her entire immediate family to the Nazi death machine. Spared for slave labor, she survived three concentration camps, narrowly escaping death many times. She made her way to Palestine, where she met her husband and took part in Israel’s War of Independence. After moving to America to raise her family, Mary could not remain silent about what had happened. She heard the denials and dismissals of the Holocaust, and she had to speak out. She overcame her initial shyness and reluctance, and has dedicated the rest of her life to speaking the truth about the Holocaust. Mary lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has been affiliated with the Florida Holocaust Museum since its founding in 1992.

Author Tom Burke is a history enthusiast, writer, blogger, and tutor of writing at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts. Evil Must Not Have the Last Word: The Life of Mary Wygodski, is his first full-length book. His particular area of interest is the history of the Holocaust. In the course of his research for Evil Must Not Have the Last Word, he developed and delivered adult education courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute programs at Dartmouth College, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts – Boston. He is a frequent speaker to church, synagogue, and community groups on the Holocaust, its origins, and its ongoing impact on today’s world. He is also co-author of Tales from the Boston College Hockey Locker Room, a history of men’s ice hockey at Boston College.

Hosted in collaboration with Temple Emanu-El.