About Cantor Fettman
The story of Cantor Fettman's survival against unfathomable odds and horrific
conditions has inspired audiences of all ages and of all faiths. Torn from their home
in a small town in Hungary in 1944, Cantor Fettman and his family were first
confined in a ghetto and later shipped by boxcar to Auschwitz where most of the
members of his family were quickly murdered.
He was ordered to work in the crematorium, and from there was sent to Dr. Josef Mengele (the infamous "Angel of Death") for "medical" experimentation. Afterwards, he was shunted from one forced labor camp to another. Falsely accused of a crime in one of those camps, Cantor Fettman was led to the gallows by Nazi SS officers. The rope broke and he fell to the ground, still alive after having endured so much.
Following the war, he returned to Nyiradony, but found the memories there too painful, and so he eventually emigrated to Canada in 1948. He studied at the Maor Hagolah Rabbinical Yeshiva in Montreal, and was ordained as both a rabbi and cantor. He served as a cantor in both Montreal and North Bay, Canada.
In 1960, he moved to the United States, first to Gary, Indiana, and later to Madison, Wisconsin, where he began with the Beth Israel Center in 1963 and later moved to the Beth Israel Synagogue in Omaha, Nebraska in 1974. In addition to his cantorial duties, he served as Educational Director, Shabbatonim Director, and as a teacher and hospital chaplain. He retired in 1992, but has returned on several occasions when his talents and experience were needed.
Cantor Fettman was destined to live to tell his story, something he has done before hundreds of audiences across the United States. He has been interviewed by the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation which was established by Steven Spielberg, director of the movie Schindler's List. The foundation's purpose is to videotape as many survivors' stories as possible. They recognize, as we all must, that the generation of survivors is aging. Soon, the story will no longer be able to be told by their lips alone.
An uplifting message of hope for today's generation of
adults and their children...
In Cantor Fettman's new book SHOAH: Journey from the Ashes, an historical prologue chronicles the 2000 years of anti-Semitism which led inexorably to the Holocaust. Then he lays out his life's story, from the beautiful Jewish family traditions in his small hometown in Hungary through the horrors of the Holocaust.
...I began to get tears in my eyes as I heard another voice join in the singing, and then another. Soon there were many voices and I added mine to this most unlikely of choirs in this most unlikely of places. From Chapter Five, "Rails to Slaughter"
His book includes a look into the hate groups proliferating in the United States today and ends with an uplifting message of hope for today's generation of adults and their children.
Learn about the Holocaust directly from a survivor of Auschwitz
Cantor Leo Fettman
Lecturer
Experience history up close and personal...
Cantor Fettman's presentations are tailored to the needs and the age of his audience. Among the topics he discusses:
- The Holocaust Experience
- Tolerance and Acceptance
- Why We Must Remember
- Those Who Would Deny or Revise Holocaust History - The Need for Vigilance
- Judaic Laws, Customs, and Traditions
- Building a Beautiful Human Orchestra
Cantor Leo Fettman 1317 N. 57th Street Omaha, NE 68132 (402) 556-7107 cantorleo@msn.com
ISBN 0-9679721-0-8
$ 14.95
Published by Six Points Press, Inc.
Ordering Information
To Order Your Copy of "SHOAH: Journey from the Ashes", contact:
Six Points Press
c/o Cantor Leo Fettman
1317 N. 57th Street
Omaha, NE 68132-1301
(402) 551-6609
$4.00 shipping, $.50 each additional copy
Order via e-mail: cantorleo@msn.com
Contact us to order bulk quantities of this book.