Brochure from Center for Holocaust Education & Human Dignity featuring survivor Stephen "Pista" Nasser

From the Budafok brick factory, his horrified family was forced into cattle cars with about 80 people per wagon. The last two people were handed two metal buckets, one with water for drinking, and the other empty for sewage, which filled up too quickly. The prisoners were cursing, many sitting in their own discharge. Once a day, the train stopped and they got some food and water, but the guards made sure the waste bucket remained a constant problem. They never emptied it. They were relieved to leave the stinking cattle cars when they arrived at Auschwitz, Birkenau, but not for long. They did not know they were at a death factory of gas chambers and crematoriums. Pista lost his entire fami and his beloved brother Andris died in his arms one month before liberation. He wrote a diary which became the published book My Brother's Voice, He and his wife Francoise live in Las Vegas. He is devoted to sharing his story, and lectures internationally as he promised his dying brother, J Stephen "Pista" Nasser Stephen "Pista" Nasser was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1931. Pista was 12 when his beloved brother Andris and mother Georgette were forced to leave the Ghetto in Ujpest. Twenty-one of his family members were dragged away by the Nazis. CENTER ? FOR? HOLOCAUST EDUCATION & Human Dignity A project of the East Valley JCC www.evicc.org The Center The Center for Holocaust Education & Human Dignity is dedicated to educating the public about the Holocaust in order to take action on issues facing the world today. As a world-class museum, the lessons of the Holocaust and the message of human dignity will extend throughout the Southwest on a daily basis. Honoring victims of the Holocaust is the centerpiece of the project, while the name is meant to convey the larger message that dignity is an inherent human right. The East Valley JCC in Chandler, Arizona conceived of the Center as an extension of its events centered on diversity, understanding and human dignity. The Center will be built on the JCC's land adjacent to its existing building, which was originally intended for a JCC expansion and is now dedicated to an integrated campus approach. Exhibits will include Holocaust history and education, exhibits on other genocides, and rotating exhibits on current diversity and tolerance issues. The Railcar In early 2012, the East Valley JCC acquired the railcar from Macedonia, which was occupied by Germany during World War II. Railcars were integral to the German's ability to transport and murder mass numbers of Jews as they worked to carry out the "Final Solution". This railcar has been certified as 'being of the type and era' used to transport Holocaust victims to death camps. The Center for Holocaust Education & Human Dignity commissioned an expert in the preservation of artifacts to research the history and significance of the car, while preserving it as closely as possible to its current state. Research shows the car was of German design and made in Yugoslavia between 1915 and 1925, while elements of the car, specifically some of the windows, were fabricated in the late 1800's. Maintenance markings indicate the car was in service during the time of Holocaust, although it has not yet been confirmed that it transported people. The last maintenance markings indicate that the car was in service in 1976.The car was purchased as scrap metal from the Macedonian Railway Authority and shipped to the Port of Los Angeles, then transported by freight to Arizona. The railcar is significant as a symbol of the millions of people whose lives and families were destroyed and subjected to the worst of human nature. This railcar has traveled more than 11 thousand miles to fulfill its new purpose: to become a centerpiece in a place dedicated to human dignity, serving as a symbol of honor and respect. The railcar will be on limited display until it takes its place as the signature artifact in the Center for Holocaust Education & Human Dignity in Chandler, AZ.