John Baer started life as Hans Lothar Baer outside of Frankfurt, Germany, before his family managed to escape to America via the United Kingdom. The Baer family arrived in New York on Oct. 3, 1940 – the first day of Rosh Hashanah. “After the blackouts in London and the long sea voyage, the lights of Long Island were awesome!” Mr. Baer will be giving a talk on his experiences at the Fairfax Library on Jan. 11, 2014.