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An 81-year-old Encino woman who survived the Holocaust and was among a group of young Auschwitz prisoners shown in an iconic 1945 photograph was reunited Friday with a German researcher who was captivated by the image.
Paula Lebovics’ testimony about her life in the concentration camp is among the experiences of more than 50,000 survivors whose memories were recorded through the USC Shoah Foundation‘s visual history archive. Her video was watched by German researcher Olga Burkhardt, who was so moved that she contacted the foundation, which put the two in touch.
The pair met in Poland last spring for the annual March of the Living. On Friday, they had an emotional reunion at the foundation’s Los Angeles offices.
In January, Lebovics will journey again to Poland to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. About half of the other children in the 1945 photo who have been located by the Shoah foundation will again pose for a photo in the same spot, seven decades years later.
Dave Mecham reports for the KTLA 5 News at 1 on Dec. 5, 2014.
