Of German descent , Schwarz 's father , Ernst , was one of the 30,000 Jews seized during Kristallnacht . He was imprisoned at the Buchenwald concentration camp until his wife , Elaine , managed to secure a visa to travel abroad . Upon his release from the camp , the couple fled to England where Gerald 's older brother , Maurice , was born . In November 1939 , Ernst , Elaine and Maurice arrived in the United States , eventually settling in Portland , Oregon . Gerald was born seven years later . He spent his childhood in Portland , then moved to Cambridge , Massachusetts to attend school
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Gerald Schwarz