Glen Gove, NY - November 4, 2016 - The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) recently held a program on Rescue Beyond War: Unknown Military Heroes. One of those unknown military heroes is Seymour Kaplan, of Brooklyn, NY. He spoke during the program about his experiences as one of the liberators of the Dachau concentration camp.
At 17-years old, Seymour enlisted in the Army and left Brooklyn to fight against Nazi Germany. He became a machine gunner with the 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion attached to the 42nd Infantry Division. In April 1945, he was one of the first American soldiers to enter Dachau. With his knowledge of Yiddish, Seymour served as a translator between Survivors and the Army. The shock of what he witnesses traumatized him for the rest of his life. When he returned home, he established a garment manufacturing company, eventually retired, and then began a second career as a teacher. He is a mental health advocate and has been honored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
For more than 20 years, HMTC has been fulfilling its mission to teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach. For more information, call (516) 571-8040, visit www.hmtcli.org or find us on social media at Facebook and Twitter.