A Holocaust survivor aided by a Catholic family in France who took him in, Rene Lichtman drew upon his life experiences as a Jewish child during World War II to guide his views. He often demonstrated in support of immigrants and Palestinians, speaking to students and others about the Holocaust.

Mr. Lichtman was born in 1937 in Paris, France, to parents Helen and Jacob Zajdman. He immigrated to the U.S. with his mother in 1950 when he was 12 years old.

A founder of the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust, Dr. Lichtman dedicated his life to Holocaust education and sharing his story. He traveled many times to France and Poland focusing on this work, bringing together child survivors and their descendants from around the world.

Mr. Lichtman wasn’t scared to take public, sometimes controversial positions on issues. In December 2023, he laid down in the street, with police around him, in front of The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills to bring attention to Israel's attacks in Gaza, holding a sign that read: "Jews and Allies say: Never Again for Anyone." The sign referred to the Holocaust, a controversial comparison that led to the Holocaust center dropping him as a speaker for its Survivor Talk Sundays series, according to a report in the Forward, a Jewish media outlet.

In an interview with the Zekelman Holocaust Center for its oral history, Mr. Lichtman's advice to future generations was, “Be tolerant and get to know other people so you won't fall for stereotyping. We were stereotyped, and that led to anti-Semitism. Also, don’t be a bystander. The people who saved both my mother and I were normal people who took a position. I think they knew the danger they were taking to save our lives.”

Mr. Lichtman was no bystander and he certainly walked the walk.