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An Iowa author writes about one of the last living Schindler's list survivors

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Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe

A newly published book focuses on the life of a Holocaust survivor who emigrated with her parents to Iowa.

Celina Karp Biniaz and her parents were among more than 1,200 Jewish men and women saved from death by Oskar Schindler's list during World War II.

After the war, Karp Biniaz's family found a home in Iowa where she finished secondary school and graduated from Grinnell College.

On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we listen back to a conversation host Charity Nebbe had with Karp Biniaz in 2017 detailing the German invasion of her homeland of Poland when she was eight years old. She endured the Holocaust as the Nazis forced her family into a ghetto, and was moved to the Plaszów concentration camp after that.

She then spent several weeks at the Auschwitz concentration camp before being sent to safety at Schindler's factory in Czechoslovakia.

Later in the episode, we talk with author Bill Friedricks about his book, Saved by Schindler: The Life of Celina Karp Biniaz.

Friedricks will discuss his book at an author signing on December 10 in West Des Moines.

Guests:

  • Celina Karp Biniaz, one of the last living survivors from Schindler's List
  • Bill Friedricks, professor emeritus and former director of the Iowa History Center, Simpson College
Holocaust survivor Celina Karp Biniaz
Holocaust survivor Celina Karp Biniaz

Charity Nebbe is IPR's<i> Talk of Iowa</i> host. She also hosts IPR's podcasts <i>Garden Variety</i> and <i>Unsettled</i>. Since 2010, Nebbe has interviewed, conversed with, and shared ideas from guests of all backgrounds and locations, and has helped listeners better understand, appreciate, and explore their state and the world around them. Nebbe has a bachelors degree from Iowa State University.
Samantha McIntosh is a talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud State University. Since 2022, McIntosh has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.