Hear My Story: Lisa MacVittie

In this episode, Holocaust survivor Lisa MacVittie shares her remarkable journey of survival. Born in Berlin, Germany, Lisa and her family were forced to flee Nazi persecution after Kristallnacht, seeking refuge in one of the few places that would accept Jewish refugees—Shanghai, China.

“My father was the one that kept saying, ‘Tomorrow will be better.’ We knew tomorrow wouldn’t be any better than yesterday but just hearing him say that made the difference. He had hope, a lot of hope, and yet he never got to leave Shanghai. He’s buried over there.” — Lisa MacVittie

In the Shanghai ghetto, she and her family endured wartime struggles, cultural shock, and the harsh realities of displacement under Japanese occupation – and that was all after overcoming polio as a child.

Despite these hardships, Lisa’s story is one of perseverance, strength, and an unwavering belief in a better future. She recalls her family’s journey to safety, her experience growing up in a foreign land, and ultimately, her path to the United States, where she built a new life and served in the U.S. Air Force.

Lisa wrote her memoir with help from her son, and continues to tell her story, to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten. We were grateful to be welcomed into her home for this conversation.

This episode is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling. Subscribe here https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity

Our gratitude to Margaret & Michael Valentine for their ongoing support of this series.

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