From Harford County government:
On Tuesday, May 15, at the McFaul Activity Center in Bel Air, over 50 people were in attendance to hear Henri Diamant tell his journey story, as recalled in the book Escape to Africa. Diamant captured the audience with photos, anecdotes and personal recounts of his experiences.
“Henri Diamant was charming, funny, and engaging,” said one attendee. “The way he told his story brought to life his experience. It was a pleasure to hear directly from the author about his very special journey.”
In Escape to Africa, Diamant details his childhood experience, describing his journey from Czechoslovakia, just before the Nazis invaded the country in 1939, to the Belgian Congo. Diamant and his family first moved from Czechoslovakia to Lumumbashi, an eastern area of the Belgian Congo, when he was 8 years old. His father worked for Bata Shoe Company in Europe and asked to be transferred. Diamant and his family left just in time – he later discovered that ninety percent of his immediate family members who remained in Czechoslovakia died in Nazi concentration camps.
The “Meet the Authors” series is part of the Journey Stories Smithsonian Exhibition featured at various locations throughout Harford County, May 11 – June 6.
The next “Meet the Author” series will be held Wednesday, May 23, 6pm, at the McFaul Activity Center, 525 W. MacPhail Road, Bel Air. Featured speaker Dr. Rebecca Boehling will discuss the inspiration for her book Life and Loss in the Shadow of the Holocaust. Her fascinating and deeply moving book is an account of the Kaufmann-Steinberg family’s life before, during, and after the Holocaust. Registration is recommended; call 410-638-4040 to register.
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