Martyrdom & resistance, May/June 2018

AMERICAN & INTERNATIONAL SOCIETIES FOR YAP VASHEM Vol. 44-No. 5 ISSN 0892-1571 May/June 2018-lyyar/Sivan 5778 IT’S OUR TURN TO KEEP THEIR STORIES ALIVE The American Society for Yad Vashem Annual Spring Luncheon took place on Wednesday, May 23rd, at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City. Thanks to our wonderful co-chairs (Goldie Hertz, Danielle Karten, Abby Kaufthal, Jaci Paradis, Rachel Shnay and Michelle Taragin) and esteemed hon- orees (Millie Zuckerman, Ruth Katz, Ann Sklar and Deborah Zuckerman). The luncheon was attended by over 300 supporters, including sur¬ vivors, their children, grand¬ children, great-grandchildren and friends. Luncheon co-chair Goldie Hertz welcomed our guests and introduced Leonard Wilf, chairman of the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem. Referring to our honorees, Mr. Wilf stated that “the outpouring of atten¬ dance and support for Millie and the Zuckerman family this afternoon is a true testa¬ ment to the esteem in which they are held by family, friends, and those whose lives they have touched.” Millie, her husband, Abraham, z"l, and their family are Guardians of Yad Vashem. Mr. Wilf then invited all survivors present at the luncheon to please rise and be recognized. “[Their] stories of per¬ severance and resilience are inspira¬ tional and remind us why we are here today." Rella Feldman, ASYV board member and longtime friend of the Zuckerman family, introduced our beloved hon- oree, Millie Zuckerman. Millie was born in 1925 in Huminska , Poland. Ms. Feldman was born in the Bindermichel Displaced Persons Camp in Austria, the same DP camp where Millie met and married her late husband, Abe, z”l. Ms. Feldman highlighted Millie’s opti¬ mism and fortitude, “the same qualities that allowed [her] to persevere through the horrors of World War II and build a family with Abe after the Krieg.” Millie Zuckerman, a Holocaust survivor and the matriarch of her family, spoke with grace and strength. She said, “It is hard to imag¬ ine it has been 73 years since the war ended,” and that it is “such an honor to be honored.” Four generations of the Zuckerman family were present that afternoon. Ruth Katz, Millie’s daughter, proudly stood next to her mother at the podium and spoke of the inspiring love she witnessed between her parents all her life. Ms. Katz conveyed the contin¬ ued strength of her parents and their legacy. “From the ashes of the Holocaust, the Zuckerman family has grown to 32, so far.” Luncheon co-chair Rachel Shnay introduced our esteemed guest speakers, Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat. In her remarks, Shnay, who is also Young Leadership Associates co-chair, aptly described the importance of Yad Vashem when she declared, “The sig¬ nificance of one life, one name — that is Yad Vashem.” As the granddaugh¬ ter of Holocaust survivors, Shnay grew up hearing her grandparents’ stories. It was with great pride that she introduced our guest speakers, as she knows “the time will come when there are no survivors remain¬ ing to tell their stories first hand.” Mr. Bornstein, a Holocaust sur¬ vivor, is one of the youngest sur¬ vivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. He and his daughter, broad¬ cast news journalist Debbie Holinstat, are the co-authors of Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz. The book chronicles the experience of Michael and his extended family during the Holocaust, its aftermath, and into the postwar years. Ms. Holinstat acknowledged that her father, unfor¬ tunately, never used to speak about his past and the horrors he faced in Poland during the war. As Leonard Wilf stated earlier in the afternoon, “It took Michael seventy years to tell his story — and what a story it is.” Today, Michael and Debbie travel to schools and conferences to speak about their book and share Mr. Bornstein’s story of survival. Copies of Survivors Club were provided for all of our guests, thanks to the gen¬ erosity of Patti Kenner, and many guests stayed to have their copies signed by the authors, uncheon attendees explored the Yad Vashem exhibit “Spots of Light: Women in the Holocaust” before gather¬ ing in the ballroom for a meaningful program. The “Spots of Light” exhibit features nine aspects of the Jewish woman’s daily life during the Holocaust: Love, Motherhood, Caring for Others, Womanhood, Resistance and Rescue, Friendship, Faith, Food, and the Arts. Each aspect is accompanied by a person¬ al story, related in the first person. According to Yad Vashem, “by giving expression to these individual women, the exhibition reveals the poignant stories behind the histori¬ cal events, and provides faces and voices within the darkness and silence." To close the program, Jaci Paradis called upon everyone in attendance to renew their involvement and com¬ mitted support for Yad Vashem and Holocaust remembrance. Michelle Taragin echoed this and the mes¬ sage of the entire afternoon — never forget. We must continue to tell the stories of those who were murdered and those who survived the Holocaust because “now it’s our turn to keep their stories alive.” IN THIS ISSUE The ASYV Annual Spring Luncheon . 1, 8-9 The Warsaw ghetto: The epitome of rightful resistance . 2 Two friends who escaped from Auschwitz and |warned the world . 3 The rabbi saved by Hitler’s soldiers . . 4 Saving Bulgarian Jewry: 75 years later. . 6 Warsaw ghetto orphanage head’s letters made public . 10 We fell in love in a concentration camp . 12 Jewish documents of Holocaust reveal secrets . 13 Holocaust letters contained “a lot of hope,” exhibit shows . 14 The checkered record of the Swiss Red Cross during the Holocaust . 15 Millie Zuckerman, Ruth Katz, Ann Sklar and Deborah Zuckerman, 2018 Spring Luncheon honorees, are being presented with the American Society for Yad Vashem Leadership Award by Leonard Wilf, chairman of ASYV. They are joined by some of Millie Zuckerman’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.