Remembrances

Explore these reflections on Magda’s incredible life and the impact she had on so many.
Holocaust survivor Magda Brown speaks at Aurora University

READ: “Remembering Grandma Magda,” an essay by Magda’s granddaughter Amy Rainey

“My heart feels grateful because she taught me that love is not finite — that there is always more to give.”  

Amy Rainey

READ: “Remembering Magda Brown,” an essay by dear friend Gregor Darmer

“While the loss and grief are difficult to put into words, I feel humility and gratitude for the many moments that I was allowed to share with Magda: for the countless conversations at her kitchen table, where all of us ARSP volunteers at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center have been pampered at one point with chicken soup; for the wisdom, the warmth and the trust with which I was welcomed.”

Gregor Darmer

READ: “Magda Brown Called Us All to a Moral Life That Centered Love,” a tribute by Mark McGuigan, former U.S. program director of Action Reconciliation Service for Peace

“Magda Brown was – and is – a light to the world. Few of us – certainly not I – can hope to shine with the brightness that she did. In Judaism, there is a belief that the world is held together by the presence among us of a few Righteous Ones. Magda Brown is one of those.”

Mark McGuigan

WATCH: Magda Brown Honored with Hour of Remembrance in Weimar, Germany

“I mourn for Magda like I mourned for my own sister – the best comrade and most loyal human being I have ever known. Her memory is our blessing. I am proud that I can call myself her friend.”

Eva Fahidi Pusztai

WATCH: Rev. Jonathan Dean Speaks About Magda as a Model of Goodness

“Magda overcame all the evil that had been done to her by giving her life to other people in service, and in witness, and in love, and in the cause of peace and reconciliation. And as one of the people who was impacted by her love and her generosity, I can bare witness to the difference she made.”

Rev. Jonathan Dean

LISTEN: Musical Piece by Paul Adams and Elizabeth Geyer Honors Madga’s Journey to Forgiveness

READ: Chicago Sun-Times: “Holocaust survivor Magda Brown has died, offered comfort after Tree of Life synagogue shooting”

READ: Chicago Tribune: “Magda Brown, Holocaust survivor determined to tell her story, dies at 93”

READ: JUF News: “Magda Brown, Holocaust survivor, relentless optimist”

READ: Daily North Shore: “Never Forget: Remembering Holocaust Survivor Magda Brown

If you’d like to share a remembrance of Magda, please reach out to magdabrownsdaughter [at] gmail.com.