HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 28, No. 4 | Page 10

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o h n F. K y n e s - H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n holocaust survivor shares Childhood Memories living in nazi germany at diversity Membership luncheon at luncheon, lanse scriven named 2017 outstanding lawyer; yld awards Presented “the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” — holocaust survivor elie wiesel O tto Weitzenkorn, born in 1928 to Jewish parents in Mayen, Germany, lived a rather idyllic childhood. His father proudly served in the German army in World War I, and he later operated a successful retail business. The family was well respected in the small German town in which they lived, and they often went on ski vacations. But, in the 1930s — as Germany’s economy faltered, as anti-Semitism escalated, and as Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party came into power — life forever changed for Weitzenkorn and his family, and ultimately the world. Weitzenkorn, father of Tampa attorney Joan Wadler, shared some vivid memories of 8 Diversity Committee co-chairs Victoria Oguntoye and Tim Martin join Judge Claudia Isom and special guest Otto Weitzenkorn and his daughter Joan Wadler. his childhood in Nazi Germany with HCBA members at the Diversity Membership Luncheon on Jan. 10. This year, the luncheon speakers focused on the issue of hate crimes, both yesterday and today. Continued on page 9 MAR - APR 2018 | HCBA LAWYER