Jeanne Beker, an award-winning novelist, journalist, television personality, and fashion editor, spoke at Carleton on June 11 about her parents, who survived the Holocaust.
The event was organized by the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship.
According to Mina Cohn, director of the centre, the centre’s goals are “combatting prejudice and racism, promoting respect and diversity, social justice, and human rights,” which is why it hosts events like this.
At the event, Jeanne Beker read an excerpt from Joy Runs Deeper, her mother Bronia Beker’s memoir. The memoir details the deaths of most of the Beker family, who suffocated in a bunker underneath their home in Kozowa, Poland (now Ukraine), while trying to hide from the Nazis.
However, Bronia Beker was rescued by Joseph Beker, who later became her husband. They ran from the Nazis for two years.
Jeanne Beker said she grew up hearing the stories.
“My parents—as a form of therapy—would talk and talk and talk about [their experiences],” she told event attendees.
Jeanne Beker said she became fed up with the stories at a young age, and eventually told her mother she didn’t want to hear them anymore. However, she said she has since grown to embrace her family’s past.
“When I was younger, it was kind of creepy—this horrible place where this horrible thing happened,” Jeanne Beker said. “The great thing is as I got older, I began to realize I have a real responsibility to these wonderful people.”
“It was up to me to not just live a good life or a great life. I would have to live a fabulous life,” she added. “If my parents didn’t give up through [the Holocaust], then I should definitely not give up through the things I’m going through.”
In addition to working as a columnist for the Globe and Mail, Jeanne Beker has worked a variety of jobs including hosting and producing TV shows such as CityPulse, MuchMusic, and Entertainment Tonight. She also created a fashion line and worked with Sears, The Hudson’s Bay Company, and Eaton’s, wrote five books, and became editor-in-chief of FQ Magazine.
“[My father’s] motto was ‘don’t be afraid and never give up,’” Jeanne Beker said. “That motto plays over in my head in whatever I’m going through.”
Joseph Beker passed away in 1988 and Bronia Beker died in 2015, but Jeanne Beker said their stories will live on for generations.
