Irene Hofstein

Author of Irene: Chronicle of a Survivor

"I was born in Berlin, Germany in 1921, and lived for six years in Nazi Berlin before coming to the United States in 1939. I graduated from a private school in Berlin and, after coming to Boston, found work in a wholesale greeting card firm until my first daughter was born in 1943, when I stopped working for a number of years, raising my two daughters, the second one born in 1947. I eventually went to work full time, managing an orthopedic surgeon's office for more than 25 years. During that time I took adult education courses, as well as some Harvard Extension courses.

I began writing many, many years ago, starting with "Letters to the Editor," voicing my concern about political and social causes. Many of them were printed in various newspapers.

I started writing more seriously when my youngest granddaughter asked me about 13 years ago to tell her something about the way we lived in Germany. That prompted me to write "A Grandmother's Chronicle" which is in the beginning of my book, Irene: Chronicle of a Survivor. I continued writing in a class for senior citizens, called "Telling Your Story". Many of the essays, written in that forum are contained in my book, about my life and how we tried to get my grandmother safely to the United States.

I have never ceased grieving for her and all our loved ones who perished, but as my writings show, I persevered, raised a family, established a career and contributed my energy to many social causes. Finally, at the age of 74, I came full circle -- reconnecting with and marrying my long lost Berlin sweetheart."

Irene speaks regularly, most recently as a keynote speaker at a combined meeting of the Anti-Defamation League and the FBI at the FBI building in Boston. She has also had several successful book signings, most notably at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on October 18, 1997.