Margrit Polak was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, one of three children of Dutch Holocaust survivors Jack and Ina Polak. When Margrit was 18 she and her father discovered 130 letters written between him and her mother chronicling their courtship in the Dutch and German internment and concentration camps, Westerbork and Bergen Belsen. She translated and annotated the letters, which have subsequently been published as a book, filmed as a documentary, and presented as an opera, all entitled “Steal A Pencil For Me.”Margrit is a talent manager, residing with her husband, musician Harvey Shield,in Los Angeles . Together with their daughter Sofia, they have created theCalifornia non-profit Anne Frank LA, promoting the legacy of Anne Frank through education, exhibits and cultural events. Margrit is also on the board of LongBeach's Freedom Writers Foundation.  

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