Counting on America, an uplifting Holocaust memoir, illustrates the escalation of anti-Semitism following Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938 (the Anschluss); and the obstacles Jewish refugees faced trying to reach the shores of America. In response to the Nazi invasion, newlyweds Kurt and Hennie Reiner flee Vienna. If you are Jewish or come fr

Author Biography

Gary Reiner delivers on his promise that he would some day publish the memoir his father had drafted over 30 years ago. Mr. Reiner spent nearly thirty years as a criminal justice consultant and project director. He designed educational training programs for the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government and operational programs for federal, state, and local criminal justice systems. To his credit, he has developed several national model programs for the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. His earlier career demanded investigative research, information management and analysis, planning, curriculum development and project management. Kurt Reiner knew he and his wife had accomplished something special when they finally succeeded in crossing the Atlantic in May 1940. Following 26 months of dodging Hitler's persuit, they had made it to freedom at last. Kurt Reiner was born September 22, 1913, in Vienna, Austria. He escaped Europe with his wife, Hennie, in May 1940. His professional career began in the shipyards of Salem and Portland, Oregon, where he helped build "Liberty Ships" and other tankers shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. After moving to New York at the end of WWII, Kurt Reiner settled in his profession and contributed to the defense industry of America for over 40 years. His past record of accomplishment includes employment as an aeronautical electrical design engineer for the Republic Aviation's F-105 Thunderchief, and the Grumman Corporation's Lunar Excursion Module. He began writing his autobiography in 1975 at the age of 62. Recognizing the importance of teaching yout Project Director (1988-1993), United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (overseeing its creation), President and Chief Executive Officer of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, (1997-2000) and Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, American Jewish University, Los Angeles.