This month marks the 70th anniversary of the Miracle at St. Ottilien. St. Ottilien was a hospitable and refugee camp in Germany for Jewish survivors of World War II. Sanibel Island resident Robert Hilliard visited the camp in 1945 for a performance by the St. Ottilien Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra. Hilliard, a GI and military journalist, was horrified by the lack of adequate medical supplies and food for survivors at the camp. Mr. Hilliard and his friend Robert Herman worked behind-the-scenes to covertly procure supplies for the camp, risking court-martial in the process. They also waged a letter-writing PR campaign to publicize the plight of St. Ottilien residents that caused donation to pour in.

Hilliard and Herman’s courageous work during this time has been remembered in history as the Miracle at St. Ottilien. One Nov. 15th, survivors, family members, and others affected by the Miracle will come to Delray Beach to honor the memory of these two courageous GIs and remember the hardships suffered by those at the camp. People from all over Palm Beach County who had their lives shaped by this Miracle that happened decades ago in Germany will stop by to pay their respects.

Read the full article here: Reunion in Delray Beach to Recall Miracle of 70 Years Ago

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