Today is an exciting day for me! After decades of researching these photos that Hitler never wanted anyone to see (October is the 35th anniversary of when I first saw them!!), I was not expecting to make new discoveries at this late stage. Now, most of my time is spent sharing existing stories, educating students of all ages and being grateful for the life I have had.

But today, I got this message on the Eyes from the Ashes Facebook page

She saw the photo of the EFTA page, featuring a man, woman and child.

Here is a portrait of Artur, Grete and their only child, Peterle

Although I had long known the names of this family, I also knew of their deaths. Specifically, I learned that on July 28, 1942, Artur, Grete and Peterle Huppert were deported to Baranawicz concentration camp on Transport #AAy. And from a book detailing the fate of Czechoslovakian Jews, I learned that, in this transport of 900 Jews, which included Artur, Grete and Peterle, only 56 souls survived. Of course, I always hoped they were among those 56, but I knew my hope was not based on any reality.

I did not know more until today, when I received Pegy’s note, saying that she is the grandniece of Artur Huppert, in my picture, above, and that Ferdinand is her grandfather. I was ecstatic!

Until Pegy’s note, I had assumed that the Czechoslovakian side of this family had all been murdered. But thanks to her note, we now know that Ferdinand survived

The Huppert Family lived comfortably in pre-war Czechoslovakia. This family is featured in my book, The Last Album: Eyes from the Ashes of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and we see them in a variety of pre-war and early war photos. Here are a selection:

Here is the Huppert Family, including the parents, Rozinka (Rose) and Jusekl (Joseph)

See if you can pick out Artur and Ferdinand. The deterioration at the top is from age. This is the condition of the photo when I first saw it in the 1980’s.

This photo is the hallmark photo of my traveling exhibition. It is a visual communication in which Artur ingeniously has found a way to have a 3-generation family portrait—although his parents, Peterle’s grandparents are in another city. Note that these framed images are copied from the family portrait above.

Before he became a father, Artur would often be photographed professionally in artistic shots—one of the most unique ones being this triple exposure of Eyes.

Here are the wedding portraits of Artur and Grete Huppert (left) on January 9, 1938, and of Ferdinand and HIlde (on right).

Artur & Grete

Ferdinand & Hilde

Learning that Ferdinand survived the war from his granddaughter, Pegy, I look forward to hearing much more about his life. Once I do—with his family’s permission—I will share more with you.