Holocaust Survivor Steen Metz to speak at The Laboratory Theater of Florida April 2.

FORT MYERS, FL (March 20, 2018) – Holocaust survivor Steen Metz will speak at The Laboratory Theater of Florida on Monday, April 2^nd at 7 pm.
Holocaust survivor Steen Metz will speak about his experiences within a concentration camp in the now Czech Republic.  Mr. Metz is a speaker within the Theater’s expanding tolerance and cultural education programming. His question and answer discussion coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Month in April.
Mr. Metz spends his senior years and retirement telling his story throughout the country. He accepts no pay or remuneration for his captivating talks and discussions except that he asks that each person that hears his story share with four more people so that the Holocaust may never be forgotten or denied. There is no fee to listen to Mr. Metz but a $10 donation is suggested. Proceeds will be given to the Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Southwest Florida in Mr. Metz’s honor.
In Hebrew, Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom Hashoah. For the most part, Yom Hashoah has been observed with candle lighting, speakers, poems, prayers, and singing. Often, six candles are lit to represent the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. During this time, Holocaust survivors speak about their experiences or share in the readings. Throughout Florida, synagogues and Jewish service organizations will hold Holocaust remembrance events available for the public to attend. Though the theater is not a religious organization, it is a center for all people. It is through theater and the arts that people get a chance to share and learn from each other. It is our mission to enlighten, bring awareness, and break down the walls of fear and hatred with education and understanding.
Some of Mr. Metz’s  story as retold from a Florida Weekly story in 2015 include:
“I was only 8 years old when my parents and I were arrested,” he said. “It was very early in the morning on Oct. 2, 1943.”
The Metz family and about 60 other Jews were taken by open wagon to a schoolyard where they were assembled to be deported to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia.
“I really had no idea what was happening,” he said.
Mr. Metz said he knew that Denmark had been occupied since 1940. But he didn’t understand that his being Jewish had anything to do with their arrest and deportation.
“I didn’t realize I was Jewish,” he said. “I was not brought up in the Jewish faith. It was a complete shock. Was it a crime to be Jewish?”
Steen Metz

• Age: 79
• Place of birth: Odense, Denmark
• Holocaust experience: Family arrested and deported to Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in Czechoslovakia in 1943. Father Axel Metz died within six months of starvation and hard labor.
• Family: Married to Eileen, father of two daughters and a grandfather
• Today: Mr. Metz is a former seasonal resident of Sanibel and speaks to civic and school groups throughout the year about his experiences during the Holocaust. He encourages students to be ambassadors of his story • To learn more: Read Mr. Metz’s self-published book “A Danish Boy in Theresienstadt” or visit steenmetzneverforget.com.

The event is free to the public, but donations for the Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Southwest Florida in Mr. Metz’s honor will be accepted. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis, doors open 30 minutes prior to the event.
ABOUT THE LABORATORY THEATER OF FLORIDA
The Laboratory Theater of Florida, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the promotion of the performing arts, through live performance, education, community outreach, experimentation, and the development of ensemble work. The company features ensemble productions, produces classic works, takes artistic risks, which both feature and challenge local performers. For more information visit www.LaboratoryTheaterFlorida.com or the physical location at 1634 Woodford Avenue, in the Fort Myers River District.