Local holocaust survivor, Wolfgang Hellpap.
AZPM
August 1, 2024
Featured on the August 1, 2024 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:
- AZPM’s Alecia Vasquez had the privilege of talking with local holocaust survivor Wolfgang Hellpap about his newly published memoir "The Holocaust and Beyond: From the Boy Who Escaped the Nazis." It tells the story of how being raised both German and Christian did not spare him from hardship, and Hellpap was soon separated from his mother to experience much of the fear and danger of wartime on his own. Since then, he has shared his story only through interviews and public speaking, so Vasquez explores the differences Wolfgang Hellpap found when writing this book for future generations.
Wolfgang Hellpap
VIEW LARGER In 1947, Wolfgang said goodbye to his mother and left Germany on the first ship to bring child survivors to Palestine. Clair Hellpap followed a year later. Wolfgang Hellpap
VIEW LARGER Wolfgang at a book signing in Tucson in 2015 for the two-volume book, To Tell Our Stories: Holocaust Survivors of Southern Arizona, published by Jewish Family and Children's Services of Southern Arizona.
Wolfgang Hellpap
VIEW LARGER He was proud to have an Israeli passport. Wolfgang Hellpap
VIEW LARGER Wolfgang in 1949, serving in the Israeli army. Wolfgang Hellpap
- Tucson has long had a good relationship with Hollywood, but where did that begin? Local historian and Arizona Daily Star columnist David Leighton returns to share the story of how a man named Nick C. Hall was instrumental in building that connection, making Tucson a place where stars could choose to get publicity or to avoid it, and how Old Tucson Studios came to be.
VIEW LARGER This is a mockup of what a ramada at Old Tucson will look like once it's named for Nick C. Hall. Courtesy of David Leighton
VIEW LARGER Nick C. Hall on his palomino horse Champ. Courtesy of Leslie Hall Clot
VIEW LARGER Jean Arthur was the main character in the movie "Arizona" in 1940 near the old church. Nick C. Hall got Columbia Pictures to come out to Tucson and construct an exact replica of Tucson in the 1860s during the U.S. Civil War and then they filmed the movie "Arizona" at this set.
Courtesy of the David Leighton Collection
Angie Dickinson at Old Tucson Studios during the filming of "Rio Bravo" in 1959.
Courtesy Turner Classic Movies
- And, the Tucson non-profit Literacy Connects sponsors a group of performers and musicians called “Stories That Soar!”. They help young writers realize the power and potential of bringing their stories to life, for the stage, video, and radio. We are now presenting these stories on the first Thursday of every month here on Arizona Spotlight.
This time, “Stories That Soar!” “Walking on Air,” was written and performed by Izea ,a longtime Youth Center participant from Amphitheater Middle School. Described as "a consummate optimist", Izea wrote this song to express himself and yo spread "love, joy, and hope". Aspiring student-age writers can submit their stories to The Magic Box Story Portal now!
Literacy Connects presents “Stories That Soar!”, a program where the Tucson non-profit empowers students of all ages by bringing their stories to life with professional actors and musicians.
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Saturday at 3:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.