91-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Still Teaching After 40 Years

For more than 40 years, Liz Igra has transformed her childhood survival into a mission that's touched thousands of lives.

At 91, the Carmichael resident recently spoke to 50 fellow residents at Eskaton Village about fleeing Nazi-occupied Poland as a young girl. Her audience wanted more, asking her to return with additional stories.

That response is exactly why Igra keeps talking. "I want to mitigate the distortions and trivialization of this history," she told The Sacramento Bee.

Igra's journey from reluctant witness to passionate educator began in 1983. Back then, she hesitated to share her experiences, worried that talking about them might diminish their meaning.

Instead, the opposite happened. Telling her story gave it power and purpose.

In 1978, Igra cofounded Shalom School in Sacramento. Three decades later, she established the Central Valley Holocaust Educators' Network in 2009, creating resources for teachers across the region.

Her biggest achievement came in 2016 when she donated 1,700 books to launch a Holocaust library at Mosaic Law Congregation near Sacramento State. Today, that collection has grown to over 4,000 books, including historical artifacts that bring history to life for students and researchers.

The library houses everything from survivor testimonies to historical documents, even a 1939 copy of Hitler's "Mein Kampf" given as a wedding present. "I'm a realist," Igra said, holding the book during a February visit. "I'm glad they kept such good records."

Why This Inspires

With only 200,000 Holocaust survivors living worldwide and 70% expected to pass away in the next decade, Igra's work preserves voices that would otherwise be lost forever. She's not just sharing her own story but creating tools for future generations to understand this chapter of history.

In 2011, she encouraged children of survivors to continue the mission. "You are their voice, you are their stand-in," she told them.

Her decades of teaching prove that pain transformed into purpose can create lasting change. The library she built will educate students long after her voice falls silent, and the educators she trained carry her message forward.

At 91, Igra shows no signs of slowing down. She still tears up when recounting difficult memories, but she keeps speaking because she knows documentation and education are humanity's best defenses against repeating history's darkest moments.

One person's commitment to remembrance has become a regional movement for education and understanding.