On Sunday, May 12, at 3 p.m., the Adams County Historical Society museum will host Holocaust researcher and film subject Dory Sontheimer for a presentation and discussion related to her book “The Seven Boxes” and the film of the same name.
Sontheimer grew up in Barcelona and learned in her late teens that she was a German Jew. Before her birth her family fled to Spain and hid their past and identities from everyone including their children. Dory is the cousin of Gettysburg resident Peter A. Sontheimer.
After her parents died, Sontheimer found seven boxes of documents, photographs, and letters that charted the death and destruction that the anti-Semitism of the Nazis unleashed. Her interest and research led to a book and a global mission to reconnect to family members from South America, Israel, and the United States.
This will be Dory’s second visit to Gettysburg since the publication of her book. Her first journey here included a visit to Gettysburg Area High School with a film crew to present her experiences to an audience of students. This footage became a chapter in her movie which is now used for Holocaust awareness education in Spain.
Dory will provide context to her research and share some of the key elements of her success in reconnecting with distant family. After she leaves Gettysburg she will be heading to the United States National Holocaust Museum and Memorial to donate her research to their archives in order to add to breadth of documented experiences related to the Holocaust.
The program is free to members of the Adams County Historical Society and $10 for non-members.