Holocaust Remembrance Day is on January 27, and throughout the month we honor and remember those who were impacted by the Holocaust and its aftermath. Our Access Spotlight this month is on Daniel Baum, an Attorney at the Jones Day law firm in Detroit, and a proud alumnus of the College of Social Science with a degree in Public Policy and a minor in Jewish Studies. His maternal grandparents both are survivors of the Holocaust. Baum has spent extensive time researching and documenting their experiences, and frequently works with the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills to pass on the story of their resilience and how we can continue to speak out and stand up for others in the face of injustice everywhere.
Baum grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan. He chose the path of public policy with the thought of entering a career in politics, but as he continued his studies, his interests shifted more toward the legal sphere. After completing undergrad, he attended the University of Michigan Law School and became a practicing attorney, focusing on labor and employment matters and complex civil litigation.
In addition to his work in those spaces, Baum is very passionate about Holocaust education and awareness. He is heavily involved in educational programming at the Zekelman Holocaust Center, his primary focus being on telling the story of his grandparents, both of whom are survivors of the Holocaust, and the lessons that can be gleaned from their experiences.
Baum had known growing up about his grandparents’ having fled Germany in the 1930s, but an interest in finding out more and putting together the pieces of what he generally knew with more details and historical context came to him while in college. He took a History of the Holocaust class with MSU history professor Amy Simon, who was able to help him further his interest using historical archives and genealogy to better understand his family’s history. She, along with fellow MSU history professor Kirsten Fermaglich, encouraged his research and facilitated an independent study in which he was able to travel to Germany and visit the towns his grandparents were born in.
“They really helped me channel my interest and prepare for visiting Germany, and being able to understand and analyze what I saw and how I could help write the story that was, to a large degree, unwritten about my grandparents,” he said.
As an adolescent, the details of his family’s history was not often talked about. “It wasn’t something that was discussed at the Sunday night dinner table, because it was so difficult to discuss, I imagine,” he explained. Survivors of the Holocaust vary on how much of their story they are willing and able to share, and his grandparents fell into the category of mostly keeping memories to themselves.
“That kind of served as the impetus for me to really explore, learn, analyze, and speak and spread awareness about their stories,” he said.
Along with help from Simon and Fermaglich, Baum began a deep dive into the journey his grandparents underwent. He spoke to experts, researchers, and historians, looked into historical and genealogical records, going through several rounds of trial and error and encountering both dead ends and enlightening finds.
“I’m not an expert at all in genealogy or history, and I don’t speak German or Yiddish, so it required relying on people who work in those fields, and a lot of waiting and doing my best to use the information that I had from family members to build the narrative and the story as best as I could,” said Baum. “You kind of just need to put on your investigative reporter hat and do the best you can.”
Baum’s grandfather, Henry Garfield, grew up in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. As Hitler and the Nazis rose to power, his parents saw the need to decide how they would ensure the safety of their family. Garfield was one of four brothers, but his parents were only able to secure two visas to the United States. Garfield and his oldest brother were sent to the US in 1935, as part of a small organized rescue of just over 1,400 unaccompanied minors from across Europe. Children were sent to live with host families in the United States through charitable, religious, and governmental groups, and Garfield and his brother were both taken in by families in Detroit.
“That was the beginning of his experience in America as a young Jewish kid, living in Detroit and not knowing the fate of his family who were trapped in Germany,” Baum said.
Garfield ended up enlisting in the US Air Force and fighting in Germany, completing 55 missions over France and Germany. “I think about how a lot of kids during that time were going to fight in World War II to preserve democracy, and my grandpa was fighting literally to save his family who were largely still trapped in Germany, against the people who caused him to lose everything he had in life,” Baum said.
His grandmother was rescued in a similar fashion, via the Kindertransport program that brought children from Nazi-occupied territories to safety in Great Britain. Her brother was sent overseas to Detroit, and once her parents escaped, the family all reunited in Detroit. Her family experienced a different fate than Baum’s grandfather, whose parents and youngest brother passed away in a Nazi ghetto and concentration camp.
“My papa never spoke about his experiences, and given all that he went through, you would think that he was probably very quiet, despondent and sad. But the opposite was true; he chose a very different way of living, which was to be super silly and embrace every moment and be both goofy and hard-working,” Baum said. “He was also very loyal, and a family man. He approached life in a way that is an inspiration to me.”
This idea of living life to the fullest despite going through extreme hardships has left a profound impact on Baum. It is part of what motivated him to work with the Zekelman Holocaust Center to pass on his family’s story. He also recognized his unique opportunity and position as a direct relative of Holocaust survivors–many of which are unfortunately no longer living.
“All this information keeps me thinking about what I can do to pass it along, and how it can impact me in my own life,” he explained. “And as time goes on, people will have little or no contact with actual people who survived the Holocaust. I feel that it is a special burden on those of us who have had the privilege to meet and know and love and learn from those who did experience it, to continue their stories on to future generations.”
At the Zekelman Holocaust Center, Baum is able to frequently collaborate with his coworker at Jones Day, Rick Brodsky, whose grandfather was also a survivor. Jones Day is very supportive of their involvement and they have organized events, arranged tours, and given talks to groups of their coworkers. Baum also enjoys the opportunity the Zekelman Holocaust Center presents for him to dig deeper into his grandfather’s story and the constant reminder of its impact and importance.
Oftentimes, the conversations with audiences turn to the question of what we can do as individuals and a society to combat injustice and hate. Baum reiterates advice we hear often, but which will always hold importance: speak up, stand up, avoid being a bystander and treat others with kindness. “We all can do something about how we treat each other and what relationship we have with each other in the world,” he emphasized.
He also cares deeply about carrying on the legacy of survivors and their stories. “I think it really goes back to the obligation to continue on those stories for generations who, by the necessity of time, will never have the opportunity to meet a survivor. I still think without knowing a Holocaust survivor, you can be deeply impacted by the history and the memories of all who have died, but there is just something about knowing an individual that really crystallizes and emphasizes what happened.”
“My grandfather lived 94 years of a very hard but inspirational life,” Baum added. “I think I can take a lot of lessons from his life and pass those on so that others can get something out of it as well. And I feel very privileged to be able to do so.”
Each day, Baum is reminded of the journey his papa took to safety and what he endured. A copy of his grandfather’s official Declaration of Intention to become a U.S. citizen hangs in Baum’s office, high up in the 150 West Jefferson Building in downtown Detroit, which happens to overlook the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan– the very space in which his grandfather signed that document 82 years ago.
“It’s a document that really means a lot to me, it’s his document to become a contributing United States citizen,” Baum said. “It’s a constant reminder, and it’s a testament to the sacrifices that he made, and that my family made, to be here today.”
Honorees’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the College of Social Science.