City of West Hollywood to Host Author Talk with Cindy Handler, Author of A German Jew’s Triumph: Fritz Oppenheimer and the Denazification of Germany

The City of West Hollywood will host a free community event featuring author and journalist Cindy Schweich Handler in conversation about her acclaimed book, A German Jew's Triumph: Fritz Oppenheimer and the Denazification of Germany. The event will take place on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Admission is free and open to the public; registration is strongly encouraged via Eventbrite.

Handler will be joined by her husband, Harry Handler, the grandson of Fritz Oppenheimer, whose family archives inspired the book. Together, they will discuss the remarkable story of resilience, justice, and the enduring impact of individual courage in confronting authoritarianism - a theme that resonates today as authoritarian movements around the world continue to pose threats to democracy and human rights.

The book recounts the true story of Fritz Oppenheimer, a German Jewish lawyer who fled Nazi Germany, joined the U.S. Army at age 45, and rose through the ranks to assist in the Allied postwar effort to rebuild Europe. Drawing on letters and documents discovered decades later by Oppenheimer's grandson, the biography sheds new light on his key role in the denazification of Germany and his service as legal aide to General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Nazi surrender in Berlin.

For more information about this event, please contact Jennifer Del Toro, City of West Hollywood Community and Legislative Affairs Supervisor, at [email protected] or at (323) 848-6549. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at https://www.weho.org/email, and visit the City's calendar of meetings and events at https://www.weho.org/calendar. Receive text updates by texting "WeHo" to (323) 848-5000.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood's Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or [email protected].