Steven Spielberg hugs Holocaust survivor Daisy Miller, of Studio City, as they attend a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Rob Williams and student athlete Rae Ann Serville listen to Holocaust survivor Shaul Ladany give his survivor story via Zoom during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The USC Medallion was given to Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Joel Citron, USC President Carol Folt, Stephen Spielberg and Holocaust survivor Celina Biniaz pose with the USC Medallion which was awarded to Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Steven Spielberg visits with Holocaust survivors during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Flanked by Joel Citron and Holocaust survivor Celina Biniaz, Steven Spielberg hugs USC President Carol Folt during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
USC President Carol Folt speaks during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Steven Spielberg kisses Holocaust survivor Celina Biniaz after she spoke during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Steven Spielberg passes the USC Medallion as he approaches the lectern to speak during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Steven Spielberg speaks at a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Steven Spielberg gets his cheek pinched as he visits with Holocaust survivors during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Stephen Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
USC President Carol Folt speaks during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Cantor Leslie Goldberg sings Ani Ma’amin during a USC Medallion event honoring Holocaust survivors and the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles on Monday, March 25, 2024. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Shoah Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg following his 1993 film, “Schindler’s List.” The foundation has an archive of more than 56,000 testimonies. This is the fourth time the medallion has been awarded in USC’s history. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles County resident Celina Biniaz is a Holocaust survivor. She is one of the last living survivors who was on the real-life Oskar Schindler’s list. More than 1,000 Polish families’ stories, including hers, were told in Steven Spielberg’s film “Schindler’s List.”
Biniaz was symbolically presented with a University Medallion on behalf of all the survivors who have entrusted their testimonies to USC’s Shoah Foundation, which has an archive of more than 50,000 testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses.
More than 30 Holocaust survivors and around 260 participants attended the event on Monday, March 25 at USC.
Biniaz received a standing ovation ahead of her speech.
“Oskar Schindler saved my life,” she said. “Fifty years later, Steven gave me back my voice.”
For many years, Biniaz said she didn’t talk about being a Holocaust survivor because she didn’t want to relive her trauma, but seeing “Schindler’s List” changed her mind.
“I believe that personal experiences can inspire others to value human beings,” Biniaz said during her speech. “Today, we’re living in a world that is shaken by tremendous divisions and horrible violence.”
USC President Carol Folt presented the medallion for all Holocaust survivors to Biniaz. This award is considered one of the university’s highest honors and has only been given out three other times, according to USC officials.
“We must make sure that the stories of the Holocaust are never forgotten, that the voices would never be silenced,” Folt said as she presented the award.
Thirty years ago, Spielberg founded the Shoah Foundation after being inspired by survivor stories he heard while making his film about a German who saved more than 1,000 Polish families during World War II.
“We see every day how the machinery of extremism is being used on college campuses where now 50% of students say they have experienced some discrimination because they are Jewish,” Speilberg said. “This is also happening alongside anti-Muslim, Arab and Sikh discrimination. The creation of the ‘other’ and dehumanization of any group based on their differences, are the foundations of fascism.”
Los Angeles resident Rochelle Brenner, whose mother Deborah survived the Holocaust by posing as a Russian child and hiding with a Russian family, said she is glad to see her mother’s history being honored.
“I’m amazed by her because had I been in her shoes, I don’t know if I would have survived five seconds,” Brenner said. “I don’t know if I have the strands, because she had so many near misses.”
One near-miss Deborah Brenner had was so close that she was bouncing on a Nazi’s lap. She said the man was saying how cute Brenner was moments after talking about how many Jews he had killed.
“My heart was pounding so hard, I thought he’d hear it,” Deborah, 86, said.
Survivors, like Brenner, were asked to stand as Biniaz was presented with the award, while audience members clapped.
USC will be a caregiver of the Medallion and a plaque honoring survivors will be coming to the campus in the future, according to Robert Williams, the Shoah Foundation’s executive director.
Los Angeles resident Joseph Alexander is a Holocaust survivor who was sent to seven concentration camps over the course of five years.
One of the last camps he was at was Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Alexander, 101, said that upon entering Auschwitz-Birkenau, he was originally assigned to a line on the left, with sick people, children and elderly people.
“I snuck back to the other side when the Nazi turned away,” he said. “If I didn’t move back to the right, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”
He said the people in the left line later went straight into gas chambers.
He was 19 at the time and 15 when he first entered a Nazi-controlled camp.
Alexander said he still shares his experience with the Holocaust in hopes of reaching the next generation.
“I spoke to hundreds of thousands of kids at high schools and many have never heard about the Holocaust,” Alexander said. “Those of us left, we have to spread the stories and let them know what happened.”
Last summer, the foundation sent USC students on a trip to Auschwitz, where Folt said one of the students found their family’s name in a book of victims’ names.
“It’s a chance for the students to understand that survival can lead to a rebirth of life and the return of a rich history between different communities even in countries that were so destroyed by Nazi Germany,” Williams said.
Other speakers at the event included Spielberg, Joel Citron, who is the son of Holocaust survivors and a panel discussion with USC student-athlete Rae-Anne Serville and Holocaust survivor and two-time Olympian Shaul Ladany.
Ladany, 88, also emphasized the need for the history of the Holocaust to continue to be taught and documented.
“I believe the story of the Holocaust should be told in order to educate the public in order for such an awful situation like the Holocaust to not repeat itself again,” he said. “The roots of it should be told to everyone, every place, and therefore, I’m happy to tell it and to try to educate people about it.”
Before leaving the stage, Spielberg had a reminder for all attendees.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” he said.
