Honor for Holocaust survivor, vet and author

Holocaust survivor, war veteran and author Werner Kleeman was honored by New York City Councilmember John Liu during an event at the Free Synagogue of Flushing on Sunday, March 2.
Born in Gauknigshofen, Germany, Kleeman was sent to prison and then Dachau following Kristallnacht. He was released from Dachau after about six weeks and eventually came to the United States, going on to serve in the army and was part of the D-Day invasion. He tells his story in the book “From Dachau to D-Day.”
Before Kleeman, a resident of Flushing, spoke about his experiences to those at the Free Synagogue of Flushing, Liu presented him with a proclamation.
“In a city that has derived so much of its strength from so many cultures, we are enriched by the contributions of Werner Kleeman,” Liu read from the proclamation.
Kleeman said that the book would not have come about had it not been for the encouragement of his two daughters and his four grandchildren.
“There are lots of memories, lots of experiences and other things,” Kleeman said has he began telling of his life. “When we came home we kept it in the closet and didn’t talk about it for maybe 10 years.”
While with the United States Army, Kleeman made it back to his hometown in Germany. He helped the people who were there in any way that he could and also arrested those who were responsible for Kristallnacht, putting them in the same prison they had put him in.
Kleeman answered questions from the audience, addressing such topics as anti-Semitism prior to the Holocaust, his participation in D-Day, his arrest and departure from Dachau, and how the world reacted to what was going on.