From A Name to A Number: A Holocaust Survivor's Autobiography
I  had lived in Forest Hills, New York for 40 years and I had never been  asked to share my life story, with students or adults. Like many other  Holocaust survivors, I was focused on adjusting to a new life in a new  country. I had a full time job until the age of 73, and then I left New  York for Oregon.I  have never been able to bring down an iron curtain on my past. For me,  the horrific memories from the Holocaust are still fresh. The ashes I  rose from are still smoldering. I am tormented by memories even as I try  to carry on with my life. I am crying in silence, I am still in pain, I  am draped in sadness. While grieving I am also somewhat healed. Most  members, of my extended family, had passed away but their love will stay  and our relationship will never end, because love is not mortal.. The  warmth that permeated our family is the anchor that I hang on to. The  Holocaust is a ghastly and repulsive historical nightmare. Not all  physical and mental scars can be completely healed with passing years;  some extend through time. However, I can not let grief immobilize me.I  realize that it is beyond the understanding of most people to fathom  the horror and dread that I have witnessed and endured. The Holocaust is  indeed beyond comprehension. My tribulations during the Holocaust are  so removed from people’s daily lives that those horrors sound  unbelievable to them.In  April 2000, I moved to Hillsboro Oregon. I met a Holocaust survivor who  urged me to join the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center (OHRC). I did,   and became a member of the OHRC “Speakers Bureau.” The Speakers share  their Holocaust experiences with young students and adults, in the State  of Oregon and Washington.I  have always been self conscious of my limited vocabulary, my foreign  accent and my flawed diction. Had I been well versed in the English  language I would still feel uncomfortable to address audiences. However,  I was coaxed by the coordinator of OHRC to give a try, and I made my  first presentation, in December 2000, at Century High School, Hillsboro.Since  then, I have shared my life story with over 840 audiences. Most of my  listeners have been quite respectful, sympathetic, as reflected in their  faces, sometimes with outrage and often with tears. They are  captivated, in their rapt attentiveness. The appreciation for  my  implicit and explicit messages is reflected in their verbal and written  responses. I am very pleased when told by teachers that my presentation  had inspired even the most fidgety students.