Max Liebster was born in 1915 in Reichenbach (Hessen), Germany. After he was freed from the Buchenwald concentration camp, Liebster emigrated to the United States, where he lived from 1947-1956.

In September 1956, Liebster married Simone Arnold, who had spent nearly two years in a Nazi penitentiary home because she belonged to the banned community of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Since 1994 the Liebsters have traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America, lecturing at schools, universities, and public events about their experiences.

In 2002 the Liebsters established the Arnold-Liebster Foundation to foster education about the Holocaust, human rights, and the lessons of history.