Special visit to Lewiston by Holocaust survivor Fishel Philip Goldig

By Michelle Kratts

Outreach Coordinator, Lewiston Council on the Arts

Lewiston has had many special visitors through the years. People of fame, fortune and great talent. This week, Lewiston welcomes an incredible individual, Fishel Philip Goldig. A holocaust survivor, Fishel has endured unimaginable hardship and has lived to remind future generations that we must be vigilant in fighting hate, antisemitism and intolerance. He is here in Lewiston this weekend to share his story.

Born in Mielnica, a town in Polish Ukraine, in 1933, Fishel was just a child when antisemitic policies profoundly affected his life. First forced into a ghetto and then kept alive by fierce courage and the kindness of strangers, he and his close family lived to tell the tale. However, they also painfully witnessed cruel atrocities and the deaths of many of their family members and friends, and were haunted by the memories of these tragic moments.

Not unlike the story of Anne Frank, Fishel and his family were hidden away by a Ukrainian farmer, Nikolay Kravchuk, and lived in an underground potato cellar as the war raged on – fearful that, at any moment, they would be caught.

Most members of his family did not survive. Fishel was one of only four children from his village to survive.

Fishel believes that his life was spared as he was chosen to share his personal testimony and to keep the stories of those who did not survive alive. He has shared his testimony in many venues, mainly across Canada, and is a featured volunteer with the Montreal Holocaust Museum. He truly is a living testament to the resilience, strength and courage of a people who will not be erased.

The Lewiston Council on the Arts is proud to present Fishel Philip Goldig as guest speaker at Niagara University’s Theatre, located at 16 Vincentian Drive, at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 20. The event will include special musical accompaniment by Hanna Moreno, soprano; Jacob Eichhorn, clarinet; Aram Feldman, violin; and Elliot Sneider, piano. Fishel, who is a cantor at his synagogue in Montreal, as well as a theater performer and singer, will also share two very poignant songs for this event, which is at capacity.

Fishel will also be present at the Lewiston Public Library, located at 305 S. Eighth St., at 1 p.m. Monday, July 21, for a casual talk. All are welcome to this free event.