These pages are dedicated to my parents, who by their faith and determination to live, survived one of the greatest genocides in human memory. After they experienced the events described herein, these two courageous people told their story to the world for two reasons: to share with others the faith that resulted from the terror they experienced, and also to raise the consciousness of their fellow human beings so that events like the Holocaust should never happen again.

The instructional objectives of this page are similar to the goals of its subjects:

1. To tell the story of two survivors so that their memories shall not die with them;
2. To inform others as to the events of the time period in which they lived;
3. To help raise a consciousness of acceptance and brotherhood that will help stamp out ignorance and prejudice, and
4. to illustrate the idea that the historical events described in the history books about the Holocaust actually happened, and they make up the experiences of real people.

There are actually two stories to be told. They are both recorded in a book written in 1974 by Ernest Cassutto entitled The Last Jew of Rotterdam. In it, Ernest tells the story of how he survived the Nazi occupation o f his country, the Netherlands. He also tells the story of his wife Elisabeth Rodrigues Cassutto, and how they met, were married and raised five children. The focus of these pages will be the period of 1940 to 1945. Both stories have been summarized here.

The Cassutto Memorial Pages and The Last Jew of Rotterdam have been translated into the Dutch language by 
Peter F. van der Schelde at Importantia Publishing in the Netherlands. Read the website in Dutch.

Click on the image above for a  three-minute video of the Cassuttos' story
(22 MB)

A 10-page lesson plan guide relating to the experiences of Ernest and Elisabeth Cassutto as well as other individuals of the Holocaust period can be found with the web page entitled Lesson Plan: The History of the Holocaust From A Personal Perspective.  

A sermon was delivered to Frederick Presbyterian Church on August 30, 1998 entitled "My Miracle" based on the story found within these pages. Note that this sermon contains religious commentary and material.  

Here is an essay written by the eldest daughter of Ernest and Elisabeth Cassutto entitled "A True Story of Kindness and Remembrance"

Pages and images by George Cassutto © 1994-2009.
Reproduction prohibited without permission.