On Sunday, Feb. 19, the community is invited to the Chabad Edelman Jewish Center to hear Esther Basch’s personal recount of her harrowing experience in the Auschwitz death camps.

Basch is a 94-year-old resident of Prescott. She is one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors living in Arizona.

According to a press release, Basch has been dubbed “the Honey Girl of Auschwitz.” Her story tells a journey of atrocities and the beauty of forgiveness. She shares her love of humankind that helped her survive her own nightmare in a way to motivate others.

Basch grew up in Czechoslovakia and was sent to Auschwitz in a cattle car on her 16th birthday. After she met Max, one of the American soldiers who liberated her camp, she was motivated to tell her story about her forgiveness of the Nazis.

Basch has given public speeches nationwide, which led to the production of The Honey Girl Documentary, enabling her to tell her story globally. Basch has turned her personal commitment to forgiveness into a public act, hoping to transform society on issues of hate and prejudice.

“As the holocaust wanes in our collective memory and many survivors pass on, it is so important to amplify and preserve the first-hand recounts of survivors,” said Rabbi Mendy Lipskier of the Chabad Edelman Jewish Center. “The event will surely bring an added awareness to the many forms of hate experienced in our society and will have great educational value to the Fountain Hills community.”

This event is sponsored by Chabad of Fountain Hills, held on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 3:30 p.m. The Chabad Edelman Jewish Center is located at 16830 Avenue of the Fountains.

Tickets are required to attend this event, which cost $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Evening Sponsor tickets cost $100, which offers VIP seating access.

To RSVP to this event, visit jewishfountainhills.com or call 480-795-6292.