(Press Release)
NEW YORK – Earlier this summer, Ann Arnold, a mother and an executive in the fine jewelry industry, published her first book, “Together: A Journey for Survival.” This true account of her father, Mark (Manek) Schonwetter, and his family’s escape from Nazi persecution through the Polish countryside displays the magnificent strength of a mother’s love, and the incredible courage of good people during the worst of times.
Since the book’s premier, Arnold has received extensive press coverage, and has accepted a number of invitations to appear at readings and signings. She was recently asked by the prestigious Simon Wiesenthal Center to be one of three honorees at its inaugural Heroes for Tolerance event on Sept. 11, 2016. Proceeds of the Heroes for Tolerance event will directly support the center’s nationally renowned programming to confront hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism through the proactive teaching of tolerance and diversity.
Appearing at this event as an author and noted national lecturer on tolerance will provide Arnold with a larger audience with whom she can share her story, and the center’s long-standing reputation for vigilance distinguishes her within a larger context.
“I was raised with the story of my father, aunt and grandmother’s journey for survival through the woods of Poland,” Arnold explains. “It is one of my most treasured legacies, and I was blessed to learn its lessons throughout my formative years; I am thrilled to have an opportunity to share this legacy with the world.”
While Arnold’s father, aunt and grandmother did not go to the death camps, they saw a side of the war that very few people survived: in the forests and the farms. Arnold firmly believes that as this generation starts to lose the witnesses to the atrocity of the Holocaust to old age, it is time for the torch to pass to the next generation. Through organizations like the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Arnold’s family’s story, and its inherent lessons, can continue to benefit generations to come.
Honoring Heroes for Tolerance takes place Sept. 11, 2016, at Yankee Stadium, Luxury Suite No. 4, at noon. For more information, contact Stacey at 347-604-4615 or Seliuk@wiesenthal.com.