Raising His Voice Amid a Surge of Antisemitism

Holocaust survivor and Museum volunteer Ernie Brod at the Museum. —USHMM

“Unfortunately, antisemitism has come back to a level that I never thought I would see in my lifetime,” said Holocaust survivor Ernie Brod, who lives in New York. He feels it is more urgent than ever to share his family’s Holocaust experience so others can understand the dangers of antisemitism and hate. He volunteers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, to help keep this history alive and reach more people worldwide. He has kindly allowed us to share part of his story here.

Adolf Hitler and his entourage view a military parade in Vienna after the annexation of Austria in March 1938. —Dokumentationsarchiv des Oesterreichischen Widerstandes

Ernie was born into chaos in Vienna in 1938, just weeks after the Nazis annexed Austria, extending their wave of persecution against Jews — including Ernie’s family.

Ernie’s parents, Pepi and Israel, in 1932. Courtesy of Ernie Brod

Before that, Ernie’s grandfather was a successful movie mogul, and his parents enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, attending film premieres and mingling with the stars. That world vanished almost overnight.

The Nazis seized Ernie’s grandfather’s company, Lux Films, and repurposed it for propaganda. Ernie’s father, Israel, was arrested on false charges and died soon afterward. His mother, Pepi, was left to care for him and his older brother on her own under increasingly perilous conditions.

Jews in Ernie’s hometown, Vienna, wait in line at a police station in order to obtain exit visas, 1938–1939. —USHMM, courtesy of Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek

Pepi joined the massive lines of Jews in Vienna attempting to get the paperwork needed to immigrate to the United States, despite strict quotas on US immigration. She applied for the required travel visas with no idea how long the process would take — or if they would ever be approved.

Nazis block Jews from entering the University of Vienna. Austria, 1938. —National Archives

Conditions for Jews continued to worsen. They were barred from schools, cinemas, and other public spaces and required to carry identity cards showing their Jewish heritage. Some were publicly humiliated — forced to scrub streets in a show of Nazi dominance.

In 1939, Pepi made the agonizing choice to send Ernie’s brother, Manfred, who was only four years old, alone to England on the Kindertransport, a rescue effort that saved about 10,000 mostly Jewish children. She hoped she and Ernie would follow, but war soon closed that door.

Ernie as a young child in Vienna. —Courtesy of Ernie Brod

Still unsure about their emigration prospects — almost two years after applying for their US visas — Pepi and Ernie were forced into a holding facility with other Jews. Ernie had a violent coughing fit and a guard ordered his mother to take him to a doctor. Instead, Pepi fled with Ernie to the US consulate. Incredibly, their visas had arrived. They left Vienna in February 1941 and arrived in New York just weeks before Ernie’s third birthday.

The SS Serpa Pinto, on which Ernie and his mother traveled to the United States. —USHMM, courtesy of Milton Koch

“The Holocaust was the central event of my life,” said Ernie. He grew up without his father. His brother, Manfred, remained an ocean away. Ernie was 21 before they reunited. Despite decades of separation, the brothers have forged a deep, lasting bond and visit each other often.

Ernie being interviewed at the Museum. —USHMM

In recent years Ernie has shared his family’s story and spoken out about the dangers of antisemitism at public programs, on social media, and in published essays. “Too many people in the world today don’t know about the Holocaust,” said Ernie. “It’s all the more important for stories like mine to be told.”

Learn about more Holocaust survivors’ experiences on the Museum’s website.