Left: Esther Goldberg, with Sam and Fay in DP camp; Right: Esther and Sam – Maimi Beach, Florida.
This coming Shabbes, Friday night Nov. 10 and Saturday Nov. 11 we commemorate Esther Goldberg’s 25th Yahrzeit.
If you live in Seattle, please join us at Minyan Ohr Chadash for a Kiddush after services in her memory.
Before Kiddush, a visiting scholar, Rabbi Ysoscher Katz, the head of Talmud at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, NY, will speak about the Torah Portion of the Week and the situation in Israel.
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It hasn’t been that long since Esther emerged from a pit, where she, together with Sam and Chaim, managed to survive for a year.
It hasn’t been that long since Eshter, Sam and baby Fay were chased out of Ostrow, when after the war, the Poles wanted to kill them and take their possessions.
It hasn’t been that long since Esther’s first husband, Moishe, was murdered by a Polish man in the woods. Murdered for a kilo of sugar as a reward for a dead Jew.
It hasn’t been that long since Esther’s mother, father and four siblings were shot one by one into a pit outside of Slonim.
It hasn’t been that long since all the Jewish patients in the Slonim hospital, which Esther had left just two days before, were shot to death in their beds.
It hasn’t been that long since Esther’s family home in Stoczek was burnt to the ground by the Nazis as they conquered western Poland.
It hasn’t been that long.
What have we learned?
During this painful and challenging time, I choose to focus on the positive lessons I learned from Esther.
I learned that the human spirit is strong and resilient. After all, she looked evil and hatred in the eye and survived.
I learned that life can be fun and full of laughter, even if you experience sadness each and every day.
I learned that singing can chase away sadness and bring people closer.
I learned that pride in our families is central.
I learned that food is crucial for survival and making delicious food may seem easy when you watch Esther, but it’s not.
I learned to be grateful each and every day.
Please keep Esther’s memory alive – tell her story and be strengthened by it. We must learn from the horrors of the past as we attempt to navigate the horrors of the present.
Photo: Esther, Sam and their three children, Fay, Ray Molly and Shlomo.
So You Want To Write A Holocaust Book? 
I will also remember my father, William Schneiderman who escaped from triblinka and was also from Stoczek and knew Esther.
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Yes Paul, thanks for writing. Your father was another hero of the war. Thanks. Karen
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