Nazi Germany survivor, Kansas author shares inspirational story

SALINA, Kan. (KWCH) - This week marks Holocaust remembrance and with that came an opportunity for a crowd gathered in Salina to hear from a Kansas woman who survived Nazi Germany and told her life story in her 2020 memoir, “Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin: One Woman’s Remarkable Escape from Nazi Germany.”

Speaking in Salina Tuesday, 95-year-old Mildred Schindler Janzen recounted her experiences, including separating from her family as a teenager and coming to the U.S. where she eventually settled in Kansas.

“I finally got to the place I was supposed to be,” she said, drawing applause from the Salina audience.

Janzen’s journey to a new life began in February 1945 when Russian soldiers invaded her family’s farm in Germany. Her memoir, detailing how she started over in Kansas has inspired many, including a high school classmate.

“The situation she had to endure during her time, it just…She’s a very strong woman, let’s put it that way,” former classmate Hazel Tilton said.

Janzen’s story also inspires newer generations, including school children across Kansas. For them, she has a special message.

“I want our young people to know that this can happen and I want them to know to be so proud to be American and to live in a country that’s free,” she said, referencing the difference between the history that unfolded in the country in which she was born and the nation she’s called home for nearly 80 years.

On Tuesday, Janzen spoke at Salina Presbyterian Manor. She’ll share her story again on Friday speaking with students at Chapman Middle School.

You can learn more about Janzen and and her story here: https://www.sheryesimmonsgreen.com/survivinghitlerevadingstalin.

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