Ray Fiol is the daughter of Holocaust victims who died at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Fiol was smuggled out a labor camp and protected by a French family during the war.
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Phil Fiol and his wife Raymonde "Ray" Fiol at their Summerlin neighborhood home. A Jewish Holocaust survivor whose parents were killed in Auschwitz, Raymonde was hidden by a Christian family of resistance fighters during her childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, France.
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Phil Fiol shares a kiss with his wife Raymonde "Ray" Fiol as they show of photos of their younger selves at their Summerlin neighborhood home. A Jewish Holocaust survivor whose parents were killed in Auschwitz, Raymonde was hidden by a Christian family of resistance fighters during her childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, France.
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Raymonde "Ray" Fiol at her Summerlin neighborhood home. A Jewish Holocaust survivor whose parents were killed in Auschwitz, Fiol was hidden by a Christian family of resistance fighters during her childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, France. She married an American service member, Phil Fiol, in 1957. Upon retirement, the couple moved to Las Vegas around 2003 and Raymonde became active in the local Holocaust Survivors Group.
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In this clip, Raymonde "Ray" Fiol talks about visiting the town in which she and her family were interned in France during the Nazi occupation, and the local woman who helped her tell her story.
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An essay by Esther Toporek Finder accompanying the photographs describes the event: "Holocaust survivors, along with Clark County students and teachers, sat down to break matzo and bread together at Las Vegas? first Holocaust Education Seder Sunday (April 6) at the Rio Hotel. Three generations from the survivor community gathered with middle and high school students and teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools. The leader for the traditional portion of the service was Rabbi Sanford Akselrad and the Shoah segments were led by Professor Esther Finder. Kevin Janison, from MyNews3, served as host and MC. Both Finder and Janison are children of Holocaust survivors. Ray Fiol lit candles on behalf of the approximately six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and a 7th candle to represent the non-Jewish victims of Nazi atrocity. Music was provided by Cantorial Soloist Lola Rivera. Educator and librarian Susan Dubin shared original poetry as part of the blessing after the meal. Participants dined on foods traditional for Passover: matzo ball soup, roasted chicken with matzo kugel, tsimmis and a non-dairy chocolate dessert."
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In this interview, Fiol discusses her experience as a a hidden child in the Holocaust and her family's history. She also talks about her involvement with the Las Vegas Holocaust survivors group.
Raymonde "Ray" Fiol is president of the Holocaust Survivors Group of Southern Nevada. A Jewish Holocaust survivor whose parents were killed in Auschwitz, Fiol was hidden by a Christian family of Resistance fighters during her childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, France. She married American serviceman Phil Fiol and left Paris in 1957. The couple lived in New York City where she worked in inventory control. She retired to Las Vegas, Nevada around 2003 and became active in the local Holocaust Survivors Group. In 2007, she became president of the organization, which provides essential services to Holocaust survivors and helps them share their stories. Fiol is also a member of the Nevada Governor?s Advisory Council on Education Relating to the Holocaust and the coordinating council of Shoah International. Her dedication to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and caring for survivors earned her the Nevada Senior Citizen of the Year award from the Nevada Delegation of the National Silver Haired Congress and the Aging Services Directors Organization in 2014, and in 2013 she was named Mensch Volunteer of the Year by the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. In this interview, Ray reflects upon her traumatic childhood experiences, and shares how she learned details of her family?s history from a woman in France who had researched the destiny of the local Jewish community. She also discusses her involvement with the survivors group, and the positive impacts of its outreach activities, as well as goals to ensure future generations learn about, and from, the Holocaust.
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