Cincinnati, OH - When Werner Coppel opened his copy of the “Forward” newspaper on February 4th, his eyes fell on a photo of a woman he hadn’t seen in 62 years: Esther Bejarano.

 As Jewish teenagers in Germany in the 1930s, they had belonged to a Zionist youth group. From March of 1941 to April of 1943, they worked together in a forced labor camp. And on April 20, 1943, Werner saw Esther for the last time—when the crammed cattle car transporting them to Auschwitz was unloaded.

Ms. Bejarano was featured in the article because of her collaboration with the German hip-hop band Microphone Mafia. Together, Ms. Bejarano and her band of young artists perform in schools and venues across Germany, spreading their message against racism.

The group is a clash of many things. Besides their ages, there are many differences amongst the performers. Ms. Bejarano is from Germany, while some of her bandmates are from Turkey. She is Jewish; they are Muslim. They have completely different styles of music and dress. Yet, they perform onstage together, inspiring the young people in their audiences to look past differences and see commonalities in their own lives and neighborhoods.

Mr. Coppel had heard Ms. Bejarano survived and was living in Hamburg, Germany, but hadn’t connected with her since they were separated at Auschwitz. After seeing the article, his grandson Brad found her phone number on the internet and Mr. Coppel called her. The old friends were happy to reconnect. “We talked about our friends from the youth group, about her time at Birkenau, and about her performances. We remembered the past. We were good kids, and we went through hell together.”

Of the 150 teenagers in the Zionist youth group, only 30 survived. Ms. Bejarano had studied music before the war, and was selected to play in the infamous Birkenau orchestra, which performed as trains filled with Europe’s Jews unloaded at the death camp. Her talent likely saved her life.

A resident of Cincinnati since the 1950s, Mr. Coppel speaks about his experiences to thousands of local students each year. He was pleased to hear his old friend is doing the same in Germany. “She is telling her story and her experience, and with that type of music the kids understand it. I don’t have that talent! So I do it my way.”

Mr. Coppel is still in disbelief over their telephone reunion. “She is in Germany. I am in Cincinnati. It took sixty years and a Jewish paper from New York to connect us again.”

Mr. Coppel is featured in the exhibit “Mapping Our Tear” at The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (CHHE). CHHE is located on the campus of Rockwern Academy at 8401 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. To book a tour of the exhibit or arrange for Mr. Coppel to speak, please contact 513.487.3055 or sweiss@holocaustandhumanity.org .

The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (CHHE) remembers, informs and transforms by teaching current and future generations about the Holocaust, its victims, and its lessons in order to foster tolerance, inclusion, social justice and civic responsibility.