Noémi Ban passed away on Friday, June 7, 2019. She was from near Budapest, Hungary and a survivor of Auschwitz- Birkenau who shared her story with a gentle spirit. As a former sixth grade teacher for 23 years, she especially loved to share with children, inspiring them to speak up against bullying and to not become haters. She was a co-founder of the Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Ethnocide Education, housed in Western Washington University’s Woodring College of Education.
“Despite the many tragedies she faced, this extraordinary educator spoke out against hate and praised tolerance, hope, and love of life. In 1995, Noémi Ban began speaking publically about her Holocaust experience. She spoke all over the globe, from Bellingham to Taiwan. Her belief that sharing is healing sustained her. Mrs. Ban is the winner of the 1997 Golden Apple Award, a recipient of honorary doctorates from Gonzaga and Western Washington University, winner of the 2003 Washington Education Association Human and Civil Rights Award in the category of International Peace and Understanding and the recipient of the 2011 Daugthers of the American Revolution Americanism Award. She is also the author of Sharing is Healing (with Prof. Emeritus Ray Wolpow). Her experiences are documented in the 2007 DvD “My Name is Noémi.” ” (from https://wp.wwu.edu/raywolpowinstitute/in-memoriam-noemi-ban/ )
