Inheritance: Love, Loss and the Legacy of the Holocaust

Please join Uwe Becker, the Hessian State Government’s Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight Against Antisemitism, the Leo Baeck Institute – New York | Berlin, the Hessian State Representation, and the Austrian Cultural Forum to the book presentation of Inheritance: Love, Loss, and the Legacy of the Holocaust.

Event will be held in German. RSVP required.

After his mother’s death, Charlie Scheidt discovered a collection of historical documents that led him on a more than ten-year quest to uncover his family’s hidden history during the Shoah. Together with Kat Rohrer, the granddaughter of a Nazi officer, he set out to trace his family’s dramatic attempts to flee Nazi-occupied Europe.

The research spans generations and continents, telling stories of survival and loss, of lasting wounds, and of the power of family memory. The book explores the long-term effects of inherited trauma and asks whether it is possible to break free from familial cycles.

In conversation with authors Charlie Scheidt and Kat Rohrer, the focus will be on personal family history, the aftermath of the Shoah, questions of identity and belonging, and the significance of the culture of remembrance today.

The evening will be moderated by journalist, writer, and photographer Sharon Adler.

Following the event, we invite you to a reception.

CHARLIE SCHEIDT was born in New York City to parents who had escaped Nazi-occupied Europe. Growing up in a close-knit, German-Jewish refugee community, Charlie witnessed firsthand the traumatic effects of persecution and exile. Following his father’s untimely death, Charlie stepped in to lead Roland Foods, the business his parents had founded, honoring their legacy and growing it into the leading imported specialty food company. After nearly five decades as CEO, Charlie retired and turned his focus to supporting universities and NGOs that advocate for refugee rights.

KAT ROHRER is an award-winning filmmaker, born and raised in Vienna, Austria, who has produced and directed numerous narrative films and documentaries. Kat’s feature-length documentary Back to the Fatherland had theatrical releases in Austria, Germany, and the United States and has aired on TV in Austria, Sweden, Germany, and Israel. In 2023, Kat attended the Torino Next Series Lab and HerArts Film Lab with her upcoming projects, and in 2024, following its world premiere at the BFI Flare Film Festival, her latest narrative feature, What a Feeling, was screened at over thirty-five film festivals worldwide and played in theaters across Europe. She is currently in the early stages of developing a film inspired by Inheritance. Kat splits her time between Vienna and New York City, creating stories that challenge cultural boundaries and explore identity and belonging.

SHARON ADLER is a journalist, writer, and photographer. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of the online women’s magazine AVIVA-Berlin and co-editor of the interview series “Jewish Women in Germany after 1945” in the Deutschland Archiv Online of the Federal Agency for Civic Education. In this series, she profiles Jewish women from different generations and with diverse life stories. As chairwoman of the ZURÜCKGEBEN Foundation, she advocates for Jewish women in the arts and sciences. For the Leo Baeck Institute – New York | Berlin, she has moderated panels and discussions on topics such as exile, resilience, and the culture of remembrance, among others.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly: https://booklife.com/booklife-review/9781978846746

Inheritance is available for pre-sale:

Rutgers University Press: https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/inheritance/9781978846746

Books will also be available for sale at the event.