Iowa Files: Celina Biniaz; Saved by Schindler’s List

Celina Karp Biniaz, one of the last living survivors from Schindler’s List—and the only one who graduated from North High School and Grinnell College in Iowa.

Sandi Yoder, Director of the Iowa Jewish Historical Society, will share Celina’s personal story, which included nearly five years in the Krakow ghetto and the Plaszow labor camp, the transfer to Auschwitz, and her terrifying encounter with Dr. Josef Mengele before she, her mother, and the other women on Schindler’s list were rescued by Schindler and were reunited with her father at Schindler’s factory. In October 2023, IJHS published Saved by Schindler: The Life of Celina Karp Biniaz, a remarkable biography by well-known Iowa historian William Friedricks.

This joint library-Historical Society event is free and open to the public thanks to the support of West Des Moines Historical Society Members, EMC Insurance Foundation, the West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation and the Iowa Arts Council. 

All Iowa Files programs will be live streamed on the West Des Moines Historical Society’s Facebook Page and all videos will be closed captioned. They will also be uploaded to their YouTube channel after the event takes place.