Who would have thought?

When I first embarked on the journey to write the book, I never really thought about not only where it would lead me and how it would affect people, but also about the new people I would meet along the way.  One of the most gratifying parts is experiencing and hearing from people how they have been affected by what they have read. I  never would have imagined that this book could influence people the way it has. 

OK I have to admit, one of my morning rituals has become going online and checking Amazon to see if anyone wrote any new reviews, then I check goodreads.com for the same reason. Pathetic, I know! But, again I will admit, my day brightens when I see a new review.  Usually, the reviews are so kind and heartwarming.  I love hearing how people have really connected with the story, and how it has made some really start understanding what perserverance truly is, and what heroism looks like.  The other day, however, I read the following review - and I was shocked, I actually teared up:

By Bill on July 10, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

After reading over 70 memoirs of holocaust survivors I continue to be amazed at the cruelty we can bestow on one another. But within this mix of terrible hatred - every so often miraculous inspiration emerges.

This book makes me want t be a better man - and the unbelievable tenacity of Sala makes me ashamed of my petty concerns and bickering.

Five stars ... You won't want to put it down.

God bless the family and the poor grandfather.

Wow - is all I can say. To know that something you wrote could affect someone that deeply elicited an emotion I can not quite describe.  This was the purpose; to make people feel, to make them connect, to make them think.  I always knew deep down that the story could accomplish that, but to see it actually happen makes me so grateful. Grateful that so many of you have taken the time to read it, and so grateful that you have taken the time to tell others to do the same.

Perhaps it is true that we can change the world, one step at a time. Perhaps in my lifetime I will be blessed to see anti-Semitism diminish, racism diminish and tolerance prevail.  We have a long way to go, but if we continue to believe in the goodness that exists within us all we can accomplish greatness.

During this journey, I had the pleasure to get connected with Marcin Zarod, a teacher from Tarnow, Poland. He not only read the book, but was so taken by it, that he suggested his students should all read it as well.  He recently took a trip to Israel with his family, and by coincidence my father was there the same time visiting his sister.  They all had a chance to meet up and I heard it was a wonderful day. 

Thank you to Bill for letting me know how much the book affected you; Thank you Marcin for recommending the book to others; and thank you all for your tremendous support.  Together we will Never Forget.

Let's Be Thankful this 4th!

Happy 4th of July weekend!  This weekend we are spending time with family and friends. We are going to barbecue some hotdogs and hamburgers, drink some margaritas, and have some fun. How lucky are we??

Every time there is a national holiday I always end up reflecting. I think about how thankful I am that I have the ability to live in this GREAT country, how thankful I am that there are men and women that truly know the meaning of sacrifice who are willing to die for me to have this freedom, and how thankful I am that my family survived one of the ugliest chapters in history and made it to America.

So many times we take for granted what we have and what we do. Take a moment this weekend and realize how lucky we are, try to be nice to the person on line at the supermarket, and appreciate your family. Happy 4th everyone!

Reconnecting with family!

Family - what a all encompassing word.  So many times life just happens and we fall out of touch with our family. The nicest thing though, are those opportunities that allow us to reconnect.  You never know when those opportunities may arise, but the key is knowing that you can create them yourself.

When I published the book, so much of my family emailed and texted me their support. It was so heartwarming to hear from so many relatives, and those that perhaps I had not connected with in a while. It made me remember that we are all part of a bigger whole. 

When I had my book launch in May, I was overwhelmed by the turnout. My father's cousins came from near and far to support the two of us. It was so amazing!  But I have to admit, I am one of the lucky ones! I was very lucky to not only have an amazing family on my side, but also to have married into such a wonderful one! My in-laws all treat me as their own, including my husband's sisters. I was fortunate enough to be able to gain more siblings and two more parents.  They all came out for the event, but one of the best parts was that my husband's first cousin and his wife came out as well.  We realized it had been so long since we all had gone out. You know what happens - kids, work, life!  But we decided to do something about it, we put a date down, and last night we all reconnected!
It was so great to get to know them again, catch up, and for all of us to hang out. (yes that's us taking a selfie at dinner last night!)

Why do I share this with you? Because the truth is opportunities are what we make of them. We must put ourselves out there. If you have not spoke to your relative in a while, stop reading this and go text, email or call them. Trust me they will be so happy to hear from you!  These connections we have run deep and many times we just forget. It is so special to have these connections, make sure you keep them alive!

Try not to sweat the small stuff!

So I just returned from my annual Las Vegas Trade Shows trip.  Each year I leave on Memorial Day and spend about 8 days in Las Vegas attending a multitude of trade shows during "Jewelry Week".  Yes it is very tiring and long, but the best part of the week is the fact that I get the chance to see so many people that I have known for so many years, all in one place.  Many of them I am fortunate enough to call my friends. 

This year was extra special. So many people came up to me and acknowledged my new book, Together: A Journey for Survival.  I am so grateful for all the outpouring of support and accolades.  It is actually quite overwhelming.  So many of these people have known my dad, some for close to 50 years, and yet so many of them truly had no idea what he had gone through and where he had come from.

The lesson here is, how well do we really know those around us?  Do we judge them or make conclusions about them without knowing all the facts? In my dad's case, he is always so joyful and always has this energetic smile that is so infectious. Everyone has such a great respect for him and admires his positive attitude.  Who would have thought that this same man endured a nightmare that most of us could not even dream of?

How can we learn from him to make ourselves a better person?  I think the next time we start sweating the small stuff we should pause and just think about what we are getting so angry or stressed about.  Take a breath, walk away for a moment, and just reassess the situation and approach it again with a different attitude.  Most things are not life and death, although they may feel like it at the time.  All of us have bad days, even my dad, but remember, tomorrow is a new day, with new beginnings and new hope. Embrace the life we have been given and let's all try to be a little nicer to one another and treat each other with just a little more respect.

Take a moment to say "Thank You"

Memorial Day weekend is upon us. As families all over start preparing for barbeques, parades and parties, I want to take a moment to say "Thank You". 

Those two little words are so over used and I hope their meaning is not lost on those that receive the accolades.  Thank you to the men and women that sacrifice themselves, sacrifice their families and allow us to enjoy all those hamburgers and hotdogs this weekend!  Thank you to the countless soldiers that fought wars in the past for our freedom and for the freedom of others. And Thank You to those soldiers that liberated my family and allowed them to survive, and ultimately allowed me to be born.

If it was not for the unselfishness of these brave souls, people like me, my sister, and my children would not be here today. Who knows how much longer my father would have been able to survive during the Holocaust. How much longer he would have been able to hide from the monsters that wanted to make sure his existence was wiped from the face of the earth. Thankfully, we will never have to find out.

So in simple terms - Thank you for your service

Family

When my dad came to America, he was sponsored by my grandmother's family. She had three sisters and a brother that had immigrated to America way before World War II started.  She had not even met her oldest sister until she came to visit my dad for the first time!  I can't even imagine.  When the war was over, her siblings here in America wrote letters back to Brzostek, hoping to find a relative that survived.  That is how they reconnected.  My grandmother was the only one to survive from the entire family in Poland.

After the war ended, my grandmother, father and aunt stayed in Poland and lived there until 1957. At that time they emigrated to Israel. At the time they left Poland, my dad was enrolled and attending law school, and my aunt was going to dental school to become an orthodontist.  The news that they were leaving Poland was a shock and the entire exit happened very quickly. They were only given about a week notice.  Poland was becoming increasingly dangerous for Jewish families.

When they got to Israel there was not enough money to send my dad back to law school and my aunt back to medical school.  My father told his sister to pursue her career and he started to search for a "job".  He worked for a while in a factory that manufactured ammunition. The reality was that he was not happy, and my grandmother saw it. The opportunities in Israel to make a living were not great. She finally convinced and basically "pushed" my dad to get on a boat and go to America.

Coming here must have been frightening. He knew no one, had never met any of his relatives, did not speak English and had only $5 in his pocket.  When he got off the boat, he was greeted by one of his cousins, who recognized him from a photo my grandmother had sent. The problem was, he only spoke English. Somehow they got by, and when my dad got to his aunt and uncle's house, luckily they spoke Yiddush, so finally my dad could communicate with them.  He quickly enrolled in a class to learn English and he was on his way.

Our family here really took him in. He had a huge family, lots of first cousins and he quickly became close with them all.  I remember growing up always surrounded by my dad's cousins and their kids.  We are all very close, and even though we now live all over the country there is a special bond we all share. Most people are so close to their first cousins, but after that their more distant relatives are just that - distant. For me, my second cousins are as close as my first. My dad's first cousins became his adopted American siblings. But the fact is, most of them really did not know or understand what he went through during the war.

Writing this book is for them as much as it is for my children. This is their legacy, their family, their history. I have heard from so many of my cousins, heard how excited they are to read it, and after they read it, how touched and moved they were. I am very close with one of my cousins, and his mom, Phyllis is one of my dad's first cousins who lives close by. Tomorrow is my launch party and first book signing. She insisted that she must attend the event.  And then I got a call from one of my cousins, Amy.

Her dad, Billy, and my dad became very close, again another first cousin. Unfortunately, as happens, Billy is not doing well, Parkinson's is a horrible disease. They live in Altoona, PA, which is probably close to 5 hours away or more.  Billy wants to be here to support my dad, to see him again, and maybe for the last time, and to support me. I am blown away. They are making the long drive tomorrow to come out for the book signing. Words can not express how much this means to not only me, but my dad.

To go through what he did, to feel so alone in the world for so long. To think you are the only Jewish person left alive. These are feelings I can not even begin to imagine. But then, to find family, to  know they are here for you, and to know they genuinely share your joy and happiness and are happy themselves for you, is one of the most moving and important lessons.  Family is everything, Sala proved that in her determination to keep her family together. Our family has stayed together.

Inspiration

It has been almost a week since I launched the book Together. Wow what a week! I am overwhelmed by the amount of support and emails I have been getting.  I have always known, and even wrote about the charisma and magnetism my father has. Going through this journey has just reinforced how many people admire, respect and love him.

So what is the take away from this all?  I see it as quite simple. Here is a man, who experienced the worst kind of hatred, discrimination and terror, that most of us can not even imagine. Yet he is kind, giving and always has a smile on his face. I am not sure how he does it, to be honest. Growing up as a child of a holocaust survivor, it is almost like a badge that I wear, and I truly don't think many others can understand it, unless they too have experienced it. It is the little things that you start to notice. Like, why did we never have a dog growing up? My dad does not like dogs at all!  I realized in my adult years, this is probably because the Nazi's used dogs when hunting for people, and somewhere in his subconscious, he associates these two.  I really don't think he even realizes it himself!

But despite it all, he never rose his voice or yelled at us, he always treats people with respect and his honor and word are the most important things to him.  He is an inspiration and I hope we all can learn that we can overcome the obstacles and negativity in our lives to accomplish good and be good people.