I just got an e-mail from the university saying that Bob Mendler, a regular guest speaker of our National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, has died.

At age 13, he was forced into Nazi slavery, and survived the death of dozens of his immediate family members. In 2008, a blogger posted a detailed account of Mendler’s story.

“I am a Holocaust survivor,” Mendler stated, baring his arm bearing
its permanent number on it. “I want you to know I am not a number and I
am not a statistic. I am a human being. I had parents a long time ago.”