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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Holocaust survivor; works with Holocaust Survivors' Group of Southern Nevada and Generations of the Shoah
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