CHANUKAH - Then and Now

Tonight, we lit the 5th candle on our Chanukah Menorah. It was some 70 years ago that Albert, my 2 year older brother, got very close up to the menorah being kindled in Camp Westerbork in Holland. His little face can be seen just to the right of the tall boy on the very left who is dong the actual lighting in this historic photo.

Of the close to 120,000 Jewish men, women and children who entered Camp Westerbork, and then sent on to concentration and death camps, 102,000 of them perished at the hands of the Nazis.

It was our good fortune that my beloved parents, Albert and I, did “return.” Unfortunately, Papa passed away from typhus 6 weeks after our liberation.

Today was another special day on our personal calendar – the day on which Albert and I, and family members, ”unveiled” the headstone of our beloved mother, who passed away just 11 months ago, just 6 weeks short of her 105th birthday.

After the visit to the cemetery, we returned home for a luncheon, and to reminisce about our incredible mother, and our journey through time.

At our home were our children, grandchildren, and our 2 great-granddaughters, Leah Tova and Rachel Tehilla, a reminder that our family has been blessed with “survival and continuity.”

Best wishes for a happy and enjoyable Holiday Season.

Hugs
Marion