Today, one of my heroes, at the age of 90, passed away. She was my friend, my former Hebrew School Principal, and a Holocaust survivor. She had battled cancer for the last decade.
During her time as Principal of the Hebrew school, she would come in to our class to share her Holocaust experience with us. Each year, as we got older, she told us a little more and a little more, being careful not to give us nightmares. I remember that the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. We hung on her every word. We asked questions trying to understand the “why” behind it all.
She had absolutely no reason to be alive. Had it not been for the fast thinking and courage of some total strangers (one who never made it out of the camp and the other who moved to Israel but died before she could meet her), she would have died at the age 14.
She came down with typhus in the camp and was sent to the barrack where they put the sick. Once that barrack was full anyone in it was taken out and shot. She was delirious with a high fever. A man and woman who happened to be walking by spotted her. She stood out because she was so young.
If I remember correctly, they were changing guards so they had a brief moment where the barrack was not being watched. They ran in placed her in a bucket and covered her with trash and whatever they could find. She passed out at that point. When she woke up the barrack was empty. She was able to sneak out and return to her barrack. She convinced a guard to let her rest and she was able to recover enough to keep going.
Later, in life, when I became a teacher, she came down to share her story with my students. What touched me the most was their reaction. They lined up because they wanted her autograph and to give her a hug. So many expressed how sorry they were and wrote her letters afterward. She had made a lasting impression on them, for sure. Harriet had that effect on people.
She has taught me many things over the years, either through her spoken words or through her actions. I’d like to share just a few:
Find and appreciate beauty even in the ugliest of places.
Be kind to others. It takes a lot more effort to hate than it does to be kind
Appreciate every moment you have with your family. Life is precious.
There are good people in this world. You may find them when you least expect it.
Moving on does not mean forgetting. It means living your best life despite what you have been through.
And finally, you are stronger than you think you are.
If you have a pour of whiskey, a bottle of beer, or glass of wine, please join me in raising it. Cheers to you, Harriet Steinhorn-Roth, for a life well-lived and for the lasting impact you had on so many others.
During her time as Principal of the Hebrew school, she would come in to our class to share her Holocaust experience with us. Each year, as we got older, she told us a little more and a little more, being careful not to give us nightmares. I remember that the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. We hung on her every word. We asked questions trying to understand the “why” behind it all.
She had absolutely no reason to be alive. Had it not been for the fast thinking and courage of some total strangers (one who never made it out of the camp and the other who moved to Israel but died before she could meet her), she would have died at the age 14.
She came down with typhus in the camp and was sent to the barrack where they put the sick. Once that barrack was full anyone in it was taken out and shot. She was delirious with a high fever. A man and woman who happened to be walking by spotted her. She stood out because she was so young.
If I remember correctly, they were changing guards so they had a brief moment where the barrack was not being watched. They ran in placed her in a bucket and covered her with trash and whatever they could find. She passed out at that point. When she woke up the barrack was empty. She was able to sneak out and return to her barrack. She convinced a guard to let her rest and she was able to recover enough to keep going.
Later, in life, when I became a teacher, she came down to share her story with my students. What touched me the most was their reaction. They lined up because they wanted her autograph and to give her a hug. So many expressed how sorry they were and wrote her letters afterward. She had made a lasting impression on them, for sure. Harriet had that effect on people.
She has taught me many things over the years, either through her spoken words or through her actions. I’d like to share just a few:
Find and appreciate beauty even in the ugliest of places.
Be kind to others. It takes a lot more effort to hate than it does to be kind
Appreciate every moment you have with your family. Life is precious.
There are good people in this world. You may find them when you least expect it.
Moving on does not mean forgetting. It means living your best life despite what you have been through.
And finally, you are stronger than you think you are.
If you have a pour of whiskey, a bottle of beer, or glass of wine, please join me in raising it. Cheers to you, Harriet Steinhorn-Roth, for a life well-lived and for the lasting impact you had on so many others.