Katten Commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day

(NEW YORK) Katten announced that the firm observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 28 by hosting Holocaust survivor Ernest "Ernie" Brod as part of its Perspectives Speaker Series.

"This day encourages global reflection on the importance of human rights worldwide and the commitment to never forget and to never allow such atrocities to happen again. Today, Ernie stands as a testament to the courage, resilience and strength his family showed in the face of such immense adversity," said Susan Light, a partner and chair of Katten's Jewish Cultural Affinity Group.

Light welcomed Brod as a guest speaker to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, honoring victims and paying tribute to survivors.

"I hope some benefit people are getting from me telling the story is the understanding that there was such a thing as the Holocaust, and it came out of hatred, prejudice and discrimination, and those kinds of things have consequences, and people need to know enough history to understand what those consequences have been and can be," said Brod, now 86.

Brod shared his story of survival, which began in Austria a few weeks after the Nazi invasion in 1938. While his father was arrested and died in prison, Brod and his mother were able to avoid a concentration camp and overcome bureaucratic hurdles to escape to Portugal before finding refuge in New York. As a baby, he was separated from his 4-year-old elder brother, who was sent on a Kindertransport — an organized effort to rescue and relocate children from Nazi-controlled territories — to England for safety.

"We don't get to choose where and when we're born. If we did, no Jewish child would have wanted to be born in Vienna, Austria, in April 1938. It has to be one of the worst times in history," Brod said.

Brod later reunited with his brother, received his undergraduate and law degrees from Columbia University, and built a successful career as a corporate investigator. He recently celebrated his brother's 90th birthday, reflecting on the "many miracles" in their journey.

Brod is a member of the Speakers Bureau at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (MJH) - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, located in New York City. MJH's Speakers Bureau is comprised of Holocaust survivors, World War II veterans, and descendants of survivors who speak to students and visitors about their or their family's experiences during the Holocaust. In 2024, 13,000 people heard testimony from members of MJH's Speakers Bureau.

The January 28 hybrid in-person and Zoom event kicked off the new season of Katten's Perspectives Speaker Series, a program designed to increase cultural awareness, broaden perspectives and inspire dialogue across the firm community on topics ranging from race, history and legislation to best practices regarding inclusion.