The Outstanding American by Choice initiative recognizes the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens. Through civic participation, professional achievement, and responsible citizenship, recipients of this honor have demonstrated their commitment to this country and to the common civic values that unite us as Americans.
Throughout the year, USCIS will recognize naturalized citizens who have made significant contributions to both their community and their adopted country. The award recipient for 2011 was Gerda Weissmann Klein.
Gerda Weissmann Klein
Founder, Citizenship Counts; Holocaust Survivor; Author; and Human Rights Activist
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
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Citizenship Counts was founded by Gerda Weissmann Klein who wanted to teach today’s youth and the greater community-at-large that American citizenship is a gift that should not be taken for granted. Mrs. Klein is a humanitarian, author, human rights activist, Holocaust survivor and a proud naturalized citizen of the United States. For more than six decades, Mrs. Klein has captivated audiences worldwide with her powerful messages of hope, inspiration, love and humanity.
Mrs. Klein was born in 1924 in Bielsko, Poland. In 1939 her life changed when German troops invaded her hometown of Bielsko. From 1939 until the end of World War II she lived in fear and deprivation. After being separated from her brother shortly after the invasion and from her parents in 1942, she worked in slave labor and concentration camps until she was forced to walk in a 350-mile death march. She never lost the will to live. When World War II ended in 1945, she was left homeless and without family or friends. Despite all that was lost, she found a fairy-tale ending when she married her liberator, U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, Kurt Klein. Two years after she immigrated to the United States, Mrs. Klein became an American citizen. The story of their meeting and life together was documented in her autobiography, All But My Life, which has been in print for 53 years, in 62 editions and has been read by countless students around the world.
Check out the other inspirational stories of award recipients on the USCIS website. Mrs. Klein was born in 1924 in Bielsko, Poland. In 1939 her life changed when German troops invaded her hometown of Bielsko. From 1939 until the end of World War II she lived in fear and deprivation. After being separated from her brother shortly after the invasion and from her parents in 1942, she worked in slave labor and concentration camps until she was forced to walk in a 350-mile death march. She never lost the will to live. When World War II ended in 1945, she was left homeless and without family or friends. Despite all that was lost, she found a fairy-tale ending when she married her liberator, U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, Kurt Klein. Two years after she immigrated to the United States, Mrs. Klein became an American citizen. The story of their meeting and life together was documented in her autobiography, All But My Life, which has been in print for 53 years, in 62 editions and has been read by countless students around the world.
Source: USCIS website
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