“Covering Their Tracks” – Human Rights Institute Storytelling for Social Change Series

The Human Rights Institute presents “Covering Their Tracks” as part of its Storytelling for Social Change series

During the Holocaust, French national rail company SNCF profited under a contract with the Third Reich to transport Jews to concentration camps where most of them perished. One young man, Leo Bretholz, made a dramatic escape from an SNCF train bound for Auschwitz and began a long journey towards safety in America. Decades later, Leo crossed paths with SNCF again, this time as the rail company attempted to bid on a high-speed rail line in Leo’s own backyard. 

“Covering Their Tracks” is a gripping podcast about Leo’s personal journey of survival and the contemporary legal battle of Holocaust survivors to hold the French national rail company accountable for enabling Nazi atrocities. The podcast details the twists and turns in a decades-long pursuit of reparations for survivors and demonstrates the power of storytelling in confronting historical wrongs. The event will feature the lawyers, politicians, and storytellers who succeeded in holding SNCF to account for their role in the Holocaust.

Join the Human Rights Institute for a discussion about this extraordinary story, the legal battle for reparations, and the impact of storytelling in the pursuit of justice.

Featuring speakers: 

Raphael “Rafi” Prober, Partner and co-head of the congressional investigations practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; lead lawyer for hundreds of Holocaust survivors and family members in their pursuit of justice from SNCF

Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg, Member of the Maryland House of Delegates who spearheaded legislation requiring SNCF to disclose the role it played in the Holocaust

Steven H. Schulman, Pro Bono Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and adjunct professor at Georgetown Law