On April 13, 1945, my mom was born in Buchenwald, a Nazi concentration camp. By every possible measure, her birth was a miracle. And another miracle happened five days later, when U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Armored Division liberated the camp, finding my grandmother (my Bubby, as I called her) and my newborn mom alive.

Over the last year, I have seen two remarkable depictions of the aftermath of the Holocaust that highlight two powerful lessons and my family’s story: the importance of never again and of hope in dark times. One is the movie “Nuremberg,” and the other is a recent 60 minutes episode about Born Survivors. I strongly recommend them.

The movie Nuremberg captures the trials held for the Nazis who planned and executed the murder of 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jews. In the movie, it explains that General (later President) Dwight Eisenhower insisted that the concentration camps be filmed because people would otherwise not believe what happened. And even with that evidence, Holocaust denial is on the rise, as are other conspiracy theories and anti-semitism more generally.

The recent 60 Minutes episode about Born Survivors tells the story of three women born in concentration camps. Their stories all echo the stories I heard from my Bubby, who was called out as being pregnant–an offense that warranted death–and managed to survive. My Bubby was also a positive person who held onto hope and who believed in a better future.

At this time, as we look for sources of hope and guidance, I find them in my family’s story as well as in America’s commitment to justice, freedom, and opportunity for all. That’s what brought my family here after surviving the Holocaust. And that’s what I will always fight for.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Phil