“When I’ve published my first book and had gone to my first book signing I didn’t know what to write as a dedication. I’ve tried to copy from more experienced writer at the book fair and they had all wrote “with friendship” or “sincerely yours” . Since i didn’t know the people in the book signing and didn’t feel I was their friend in anyway I’ve felt awkward writing that. And had started writing fake dedications instead. Writing stuff like “To Danny , thank you for saving my life in Lebanon, if not for you this book would have never been written”.or “To Dina, thank you for donating me a kidney. A part of you is always with me”. It worked great until I’ve written to this serious looking young woman “To Bosmat, you may hate me but this won’t change the fact that the baby is mine.” Five minutes later ...
Isaac Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel: “I am the grandson of the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac HaLevi Herzog zt”l, the son of the sixth President of Israel, Chaim Herzog z”l and the nephew of Abba Eban z”l, diplomat and statesman. I am following their footsteps in the service of the Jewish people, in Israel and throughout the Diaspora. This service is an innate part of who I am, of my identity. We are but a small nation of 14.5 million in an ocean of seven billion people living on this earth and have a moral obligation to keep our people united. Now more than ever. As we see the rise of anti-Semitism all around the world, we understand more and more the obligation we have to uphold the unity of our people reinforce the relevancy of Israel for the Jewish people as a vibrant ...
“As I stand before you today, judges of Israel, to argue against Adolf Eichmann, I am not alone; six million prosecutors stand here by my side”. This is how my father, Gideon Hausner RIP, Head Prosecutor in Eichmann’s trial – held in 1961 at “The People’s House” in Jerusalem – began his iconic opening speech. Eichmann, who was in charge of the “final solution” to the Jewish problem, had been one of the chief Nazi criminals and the one responsible for the murder of Jews in each and every occupied country. Every word in my father’s speech was carefully thought out. He wanted it to echo not only in the Jerusalem court hall but in the whole wide world. And indeed – it did. Eichmann’s trial touched the deepest cords in the hearts of holocaust survivors who were afraid, until then, to tell their horrible stories. It was only thanks ...
“In rising to present the case against the accused, I am not alone. I am accompanied and surrounded by 6,000,000 prosecutors who, alas, cannot stand and point their finger of accusation against the man in the dock declaring ‘I Accuse.’ Their ashes are either at Auschwitz and Treblinka, or in graves scattered all over Europe. Their blood cries out but their voices are silent and unheard. It is in their name that I present this terrible awesome indictment. “
“I met my future husband through a friend of my sister’s, who self-assumed the role of Cupid. Our first date was not so successful, but everyone told me I should give him another chance. My sister’s friend said he was a serious guy, and warned me not to play with his feelings. Time had taken its course, and after eight months together we decided to get married. Yosef, my husband, was born in the Polish town of Przemysl. His mother and sister perished in the holocaust. He managed to hide away for a long time, and later joined the partisans who fought the Nazis in the Polish woods. This intense period had actually shaped the man he came to be. He never liked talking about things he went through, and I always felt I had to forcibly “extract” the details from him. People didn’t know back then how to treat ...
“Arriving at Auschwitz was like standing at the gates of hell. We went through the “selection” right upon disembarking onto the ramp, and I got separated from my mother and younger brothers. They were directed towards the chimneys. When I saw my mother was having trouble handling the children on her own, I decided to leave the adults line and hurried to help her. My younger brother, Benjamin, was sick with fever and sobbing. I took him away and tried to sooth him. Suddenly, we were approached by a tall, robust prisoner who ordered me firmly to hand the child over to my mother and go back into the line. I did it while looking into Benjamin’s tearful eyes. He waved goodbye with his little hand, and I had no idea this was the last time I would ever see him, or anyone else from my family. This image is ...
“My husband, Isaac, was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1911. He was his parents’ youngest son and had one brother and three sisters. When war broke out, he fought the Nazis and Italians in the ranks of the Greek army. Upon the Greek government’s surrender he returned to Thessaloniki, unwilling to abandon his beloved family. This is how he found himself in Thessaloniki Ghetto with his mother, Leah. Their next station was Auschwitz, where he was separated from his mother during the “selection” – she was sent to the gas chambers, while he was transferred to a labor camp. Luckily, one of the Germans got to like him. He took Isaac under his custody and this is how he survived the death camp. I met Isaac in Israel. He owned the local grocery store, and our long courtship period began right after we met for the first time. I knew ...
“As I stand before you today, judges of Israel, to argue against Adolf Eichmann, I am not alone; six million prosecutors stand here by my side”. This is how my father, Gideon Hausner RIP, Head Prosecutor in Eichmann’s trial – held in 1961 at “The People’s House” in Jerusalem – began his iconic opening speech. Eichmann, who was in charge of the “final solution” to the Jewish problem, had been one of the chief Nazi criminals and the one responsible for the murder of Jews in each and every occupied country. Every word in my father’s speech was carefully thought out. He wanted it to echo not only in the Jerusalem court hall but in the whole wide world. And indeed – it did. Eichmann’s trial touched the deepest cords in the hearts of holocaust survivors who were afraid, until then, to tell their horrible stories. It was only thanks ...
“The first deportation from Krakow Ghetto was carried out in May 1942. Six thousand Jews were deported. At that time, we had already heard rumors about the mass slaughter of Jews, so the leaders of Bnei Akiva youth movement – which I was I member of – decided to set up an underground movement that would stand against the mass murder. We wanted to show the Nazis and the whole world that Jewish blood would not be spilled with impunity, and that we would not submit to the Nazi atrocities without resistance. On December 22nd, 1942, two days before Christmas, the underground members assembled in a shack outside the ghetto, where we held the last arrangements for our retaliation against the Nazis. Looking back, I can say this was my happiest day during the holocaust, because I felt I was finally taking control of my fate and fighting back. Our ...
“At the beginning of my career I was a kindergarten teacher. The children saw the number tattooed on my forearm and started asking questions. I was uncertain about the answers I should give them. How do you explain holocaust concepts – like ghettos, concentration camps – without elaborating on extermination methods? Children are very curious by nature, and I couldn’t leave their questions unanswered. It made me think about ways to tell them my story without scaring them too much. I decided to tell it my own way – to evade the atrocities and focus on the human spirit. I told them about friendships, about people helping each other, and especially about the conscious choice we have in life – the choice between good and bad – and the importance of being aware to the power of kindness. My conversations with those children made me feel I should look for ...