The Story of Steve Safran,
Second-Generation Holocaust Survivor
Steve in front of the Adda and Paul Safran Beach House
Steve Safran, 71, is sitting in his living room in Highland Park, Illinois, just north of Chicago. He sits in front of large bay windows, overlooking a large neighborhood pond where swans are swimming. His home is beautiful. The carpets have just been cleaned. It is quiet. Family photos decorate the walls and tables. It is clear that he has been successful in his work. But it hasn’t been an easy journey for the Safran family. Steve’s father, Paul, learned the scrap metal business as a young apprentice in Hamburg, Germany. As the Nazi regime grew in power, he and his wife, Adda, quickly realized that they would have to leave as soon as they could. They emigrated to Chicago in 1938, two weeks before the S.S. invaded their apartment to look for Paul.
Click the video below and listen to Steve Safran.