Helen Przerchadski Lasoski: Journey from Nazi Persecution to the Big Easy

This project chronicles Helen Lasoski’s journey from her hometown of Lask, Poland to her life in New Orleans, Louisiana, the site of her family's resettlement following WWII and subsequent internment in a refugee camp in Germany. The story of her journey is enhanced by family photographs and recollections of her children and friends. This account was originally composed by Rebecca Clare Lasoski, granddaughter of Helen Lasoski, as a Senior Honor thesis at Millsaps College in 2003. It is a window into the challenges faced by these newcomers to our shores. These new arrivals had survived years of horror in Nazi concentration camps. It is a unique tale that tells of the determination needed to create a normal life from the ashes of the past, building on hope for the future and gratitude for the opportunities given to her by strangers in a strange land. It is a unique legacy for future generations to reflect on the amazing resiliency of the human spirit.