NonfictionIn Conversation

Irene W. Leigh: "Hiding the Holocaust"

Name: Irene W. Leigh: "Hiding the Holocaust"
Start: 2026-09-01T22:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-01T23:00:00+00:00
Location: C. Burr Artz Public Library

C. Burr Artz Public Library

110 E Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701

Frederick, Maryland, United States

More info ↗

Originally posted by

Curious Iguana ↗

Details can change. Please confirm the date, time, location, and ticketing directly with the organizer before attending.

About this event

Join Curious Iguana at C. Burr Artz Library to celebrate local author Irene W. Leigh and her new memoir, "Hiding the Holocaust" — the astounding story of her Jewish parents' experiences escaping Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Irene will be in conversation with Sofia Seitchik, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Copies of "Hiding the Holocaust" will be available for purchase at the event. This event is free and open to the public, presented in partnership with the Frederick County Public Library. An ASL interpreter will be on hand to provide services as needed. -- From her parents, deaf psychologist Irene W. Leigh learned how quickly safety could be yanked away. Her parents, Jews who barely escaped Nazi Germany on the eve of World War II, tried to shield Leigh from harm, never talking about the horrors they endured, and it was not until recently that she began to discover the truth by uncovering a shocking document. Having rebuilt their lives from scratch, first in England and then in America, Leigh's parents passed down a legacy of ambition, persistence, and achievement, shaping her resilience in response to bias and discrimination. In this deeply personal memoir, Leigh explores how this unspoken history and inherited trauma has informed her personal, familial, academic, and career experiences, narrating the subtle ways in which Holocaust trauma and loss affected not only her parents but also herself as a deaf child, teen, adult, and parent. (via Curious Iguana)

Featured readers

Irene W. Leigh

Irene W. Leigh is a clinical psychologist with a distinguished career in research and teaching, focusing on deaf identity, parenting, attachment, cochlear implants, assessment, psychotherapy, and counseling. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and taught in the clinical psychology doctoral program at Gallaudet University, where she chaired the Department of Psychology and holds the title of Professor Emerita.

Sofia Seitchik

Sofia Seitchik is a Jewish Deaf entrepreneur, transformational coach, and community leader dedicated to creating spaces where people feel seen and connected. She founded Global Deaf Women and is the author of The Light of Deaf Women. Sofia serves as Program Director for Hillel at Gallaudet University and is co-founder of Matanah.