*This event is free for Cal Poly students, but a ticket is required for entry.
Manfred “Manny” Lindenbaum is a Holocaust Survivor. At the age of 7, he and his older brother Sig, then 9, were shepherded by Polish troops to board the Kindertransport to England a day before World War II began.
A peace activist who has worked with refugees for many years, Manny has spoken to thousands of children about their responsibility to change the world by speaking out about hatred and bigotry. He founded the Peace, Genocide and Holocaust Center at Ocean County College, and he created the first Jewish Family and Children’s Service for the Ocean County Jewish Federation, where he was chairperson of their Community Relations Committee. He was an active member of the Brookdale Community College Holocaust Center, and has conducted prison workshops on “Alternatives to Violence.” He has also served on the Labor Zionist Alliance (now Ameinu), and was a founding member and Past President of the American Habonim Association of Central Jersey.
In 2014, Manny completed a 28-day odyssey, returning to his hometown in Poland accompanied by his wife, children, grandchildren and friends to retrace his steps and those of his family during the Holocaust. He rode a bicycle the last 220 plus miles.
Today, he speaks at community events and schools about bullying and diversity, referring to his Shoah background, and remains active with the Hebrew Aid Immigration Society, an organization that helped him in 1938 and 1946.
He is married to Annabel, his wife of 62 years, and they have three married children. An active octogenarian, he still loves biking trips, and his favorite term is “I’m a lucky Zayda.”
