When I received this assignment with this title, there was no doubt in my mind what my subject would be. Several occasions crossed my mind as occasions of great joy, but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became of my first choice.
Gezelligheid describes a state of mind where you feel happy, comfortable, and safe because you are with family, friends, or other special people.
I have seen many monuments to the Holocaust. The monument I deeply admire—the one that moves me not only by its appearance but also by the person it commemorates—is connected to my Polish roots.
How I tried to reach out to the outside world but couldn’t make it, as depicted by a dream I had in 1964.
I am standing now at the railroad station of the small village where I reside with a Polish family.
Who is watching over me in this silence that I feel?
To endless days On lonely avenues.
It was April 1945, and we were slated to move into Kassel, Germany, to secure our building and personality targets as the US Army Infantry was occupying the city. But before we could enter, there came a change of orders.
Remembering my childhood, specifically my second grade class in Germany, each student was allocated a small lot and instructed to plant vegetables—lettuce, radishes, beans, and tomatoes. I thought, now, why can’t I do that on my otherwise useless lot?
We were now together in New York and had escaped from Germany, but our problems were not over.
Listen to or read Holocaust survivors’ experiences, told in their own words through oral histories, written testimony, and public programs.
