MEET HANNA

Sharing the gifts of freedom

Through rescue, loss, and eventual freedom — author, teacher, and speaker Hanna Zack Miley stands as a warm reminder of the power of forgiveness. In 1932, just 11 months before Hitler seized power — Hanna was born in the German city of Bonn. As anti-semitism increased her Jewish parents, Marcus and Amalie Zack, desperately sought ways of escape. On the evening of July 24, 1939, they were able to get Hanna onto a train to escape to England. They however, would not make it to safety. Her parents were forced from their home and deported to endure six months of inhumane conditions in the Łódź Ghetto before being murdered in Chelmno, Poland, on May 3, 1942.

Hanna has since discovered newfound freedom and joy in sharing her story around the world and through her writing and speaking. She and her husband George have been worldwide travelers for more than 50 years, teaching others about the transforming power of God and forgiveness even in the most painful circumstances. Today, they reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

MEET HANNA

Sharing the gifts of freedom

Through rescue, loss, and eventual freedom — author, teacher, and speaker Hanna Zack Miley stands as a warm reminder of the power of forgiveness. In 1932, just 11 months before Hitler seized power — Hanna was born in the German city of Bonn. As anti-semitism increased her Jewish parents, Marcus and Amalie Zack, desperately sought ways of escape. On the evening of July 24, 1939, they were able to get Hanna onto a train to escape to England. They however, would not make it to safety. Her parents were forced from their home and deported to endure six months of inhumane conditions in the Łódź Ghetto before being murdered in Chelmno, Poland, on May 3, 1942.

Hanna has since discovered newfound freedom and joy in sharing her story around the world and through her writing and speaking. She and her husband George have been worldwide travelers for more than 50 years, teaching others about the transforming power of God and forgiveness even in the most painful circumstances. Today, they reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

READ THE BOOK

A Garland For Ashes

Torn from her home, alone, and unsure of where she was headed, Hanna left Germany on a transport bound for England at just 7-years old. She would come to learn that she was part of an epic rescue effort that would save nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Written over four years, A Garland for Ashes is both a gripping detective story depicting the heartbreaking process of discovering her family’s fate and also a poignant account of her journey from vengeful hatred to forgiveness, the release from bitterness, and the healing of the past.

READ THE BOOK

A Garland For Ashes

Torn from her home, alone, and unsure of where she was headed, Hanna left Germany on a transport bound for England at just 7-years old. She would come to learn that she was part of an epic rescue effort that would save nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Hitler’s Nazi regime.

Written over four years, A Garland for Ashes is both a gripping detective story depicting the heartbreaking process of discovering her family’s fate and also a poignant account of her journey from vengeful hatred to forgiveness, the release from bitterness, and the healing of the past.

Reviews

"A Garland for Ashes is at once timely and timeless. Not only is the story itself compelling, but Hanna’s honest, visceral and intimate examination of her life is both endearing and heart breaking."

Kaitlin Gilmore

Dean of Students, Veritas Preparatory Academy

"While some World War II memoirs are almost unbearably heavy (and how could they not be?) Hanna's, though at time painful, is laced with a golden cord of hope and healing."

Jennifer

Amazon Reviewer

"A wonderful read and, particularly as the book went on, I found it hard to break away from."

Joe

Amazon Reviewer

RECENT INTERVIEWS

Videos and podcasts

Videos

The Story Behind "A Garland For Ashes" by Hanna Zack Miley

"Forged Identity" | Amanda Achtman & Hanna Miley

"Holocaust Survivor Shares The Healing of Her Childhood Trauma"

"Restored By Love" by NetforGod

"Life as a Child Refugee from Germany & Bosnia" Hanna Zack Miley & Smajo Bešo

Podcasts

My Long Journey To Forgiveness

Hanna, a Holocaust survivor, describes her journey and the steps she took to face the harsh truths of the past in a 3-part series.

Back In Lodz, where Hanna's Parents were held in the Ghetto

Markus and Amalie Zack, Hanna’s parents, were deported from Cologne, Germany, on October 30, 1941, to the ghetto in Lodz, Poland, and ultimately gassed in nearby Chelmno death camp on May 3, 1942. After reading the story in her book A Garland for Ashes (Meine Krone in der Asche in German), the Chemin Neuf Community invited Hanna to Lodz in July 2016 to testify to Christ’s power to heal and transform.

Radegast Station: The Story of Two Jews

Amalie and Markus Zack, Hanna’s parents, arrived at Radegast Station, Lodz, the beginning of November 1941, and left from there the beginning of May 1942 for their final journey. Today Radegast is a memorial. Hanna shared her story with a group gathered on the Radegast platform.

MORE FROM HANNA

Read the blog

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Photo by Marco Montalti | ShutterstockThe Art of HealingLast month, Hannah Dailey came to our home. She was in Phoenix to interview local Holocaust survivors for the National World War 2 Museum in...