Bernd Simon

Bernd Simon (born 20 May 1920) is a German-Jewish Holocaust survivor. Beginning in the late 1980s, he began sharing his wartime experiences in schools, synagogues, churches and numerous other venues, becoming a popular motivational and inspirational speaker. In August 2011, The Simon Hero Foundation was formed to honor Bernd and his wife Judy through a virtual memorial.
Biography
On Kristallnacht (10 November 1938), at the age of 18, Simon and his mother were arrested by the Gestapo and taken to the Dachau concentration camp. Three months later, his mother successfully released him by presenting forged documents stating that he had an exit visa waiting at a foreign embassy. His mother died on a train en route to Nazi-occupied Russia in 1941. and moved with her to Ventura, California, where they live today. They have two children, Jim and Debbie.
Simon taught languages at UC Santa Barbara.
Holocaust speaker
Beginning in the late 1980s, Simon participated in a state-funded program called Seasons which brought senior citizens into schools to share their past with students. He has spoken before hundreds of students in Ventura County schools, and is considered one of the more popular speakers. He also speaks on war remembrance days<ref name="ventura"/> and at Holocaust memorials,<ref name="wisdom"/> presenting his wartime experiences in a motivational and inspiring way.<ref name="foot"/>

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