It is about YOU!

I just returned from London a couple of days ago. Many of my friends told us we were the smartest ones in America - leaving the night of the election and getting out of here!  I did not plan it that way intentionally, it happened that my daughter had a few days off from school so we booked the trip.  London was amazing, we loved everything about it and I am so happy we went.  But there was a little part of me that did wish I was back home with everything going on. 

Our flight overseas did not have Wi-Fi, so my husband and I took turns waking up and refreshing the news feed that the plane did provide. We were just as shocked as so many people in the nation as the night unfolded.  Now for full disclosure, I am a registered Republican, however I never vote strictly by party line.  In this case, I did agree with much of what President Elect Trump said, however not all of it. And the things I did not agree with led me to personally not be able to vote for him. With all that said, however, he is going to be my President now, and I hope and pray that he will be one of the best we ever had.

I remember my father used to tell us how great this country was. He used to tell my sister and I that we had no idea how lucky we were. We lived in a country where freedom was sometimes taken for granted. Everyone had a right to vote and have their voices heard. Some chose not to exercise that right and many others made their feelings heard.  Things will not change overnight, and I can only hope that everyone recognizes this fact and gives President Elect Trump a chance. I know so many people that are so upset and have gone into a depression over this past week. To them I would say, you are entitled to your feelings just as others are entitled to theirs, however, do not loose sight of the bigger picture. You have the distinct honor of living in a country where anything is possible. It gave my father the ability to come here as a young man, with $5 in his pocket and not knowing a word of English, and through hard work and determination he made it and provided a better life for his children.

This is a country that has good people in it, don't for get that!  Since the election, two towns in NJ have already passed anti-BDS resolutions. They join Englewood, NJ and New York City which each passed their own anti-BDS resolutions a couple of months ago.  Last week, my town of Norwood passed the resolution unanimously, and then just last night, my hometown of Livingston did the same. In each town many people attended the meeting to show their town council their support, and many gave passionate speeches thanking the members for what they were doing. These brave people are standing up and saying we will not tolerate intolerance! We will not tolerate hate! We will not tolerate bigotry and anti-Semitism! At the end of the day, it is about what you do as a person, what you teach your children and how you live that matters.

Anti-Semitism exists but does not have to win

I had the pleasure this morning to speak at Temple Emanu-El in Closter NJ. What a wonderful and welcoming community!  After services, a smaller group of congregants met and had a question and answer session with my dad and I. I find that so many times, the conversation invariably turns to anti-Semitism. 

I was honored to meet other second generation, children of Holocaust survivors as well today. And as we all spoke, I found a common theme.  Our parents, the Holocaust survivors themselves, each seem to have emerged from this horrific time in history, and have gone on to lead wonderful lives, and each one of them does not live with hatred.  They usually walk around with a smile on their face, they are good to others, and the always look forward.  However, it is us, the children, that have a harder time learning this lesson.

Each one of us shared how we harbor more resentment, perhaps more unspoken "hatred" for what happened to our parents.  I know as a parent, when my child skins her knee, I feel the pain, but the truth is that our children feel our pain as well.  Yes anti-Semitism exists. It always has, and it probably always will, however, each one of us has to try to learn the lessons of our parents.  We must look forward, we must try to leave the world a better place.  My dad said today, these people will always hate us, but we must fight back with kindness. We can not become the people the accuse us to be. 

This past week, I witnessed and was part of an amazing evening in my little town of Norwood NJ.  A few weeks ago I had coffee with Michael Cohen. Michael is the Eastern Regional Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He is also a councilman in the city of Englewood, NJ.  He was telling me about how NYC and Englewood had passed an anti-BDS resolution, condemning BDS (the anti-Semetic movement called Boycott Disinvestment and Sanctions against Israel).  The goal being that if we can get every individual municipality to join their voices and stand up to intolerance and hatred, perhaps we can make a difference.  I immediately contacted our town council and the mayor agreed to put the resolution on the agenda for their work session this past Wednesday evening. 

There were a few of us that attended the meeting to show support to the council for their stance and approval of this resolution.  What I did not expect were the eloquent and heartfelt comments that each council member said.  This is not a very Jewish town I live in, and was hoping at best to just not have any opposition and that everyone would vote yes.  I never imagined that I would witness such understanding and acceptance. It made me so proud to be a Norwood resident, and so happy that as a Jew I actually truly understood why I feel so comfortable in my small town. Because I am surrounded by good people, people that understand all of our inalienable rights, including freedom of religion.  They spoke about how Israel is a democracy, one of the United States greatest allies, and how they have a right to defend themselves against terrorism.  What an evening!

I will leave you with how I ended my talk today.  My dad put it best – we can not live with hate in our hearts. No, we will probably never forgive and can not forget, but we have to learn and look forward.  Make sure we pass those teaching on. We can not allow the seed of hatred of any kind grow. There are good people in this world, there really are. And if we can get those voices to rise louder than the ones that spread violence and hatred, then we can try to make this world a better place, one where our children and descendants can hopefully live peacefully.

Happy New Year!

New Year - what liberating words. Those two little words bring such new hope, a clean slate, a new beginning.  For most, January 1st is the clean slate day.  At work, we joke about how we have to do it all over again, ugh! I know so many friends that say they will start their "diet" on January 2nd, or they will start going to the gym and getting healthier.  But for the Jewish New Year, it's not the same feeling. It is as if New Year holds a different meaning, this one is for the soul.

We go to synagogue, ask for forgiveness, and hope to be put in the book of life. What does all of that mean? For many, it is a time to reflect inward. I have to be honest, I don't attend synagogue on a regular basis.  For me I go at the very least twice a year, during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In between, if there is a B'Nai Mitzvah to attend, or a special occasion, we will attend services.  However, I must say, during this time each fall, the holidays cause me to start reflecting on the year that just passed. 

This year has been a whirlwind and the one thing that sticks out in my mind is my individual awareness and recognition of how far we have come as Jewish people, yet how far we still have to go.  I have recently been reading so much and learning so much more about the BDS movement, the anti-Semitism that still rocks our world, and then all the violence that has ripped our country apart in the past year. It saddens me that this is the world we live in, the one I have brought my children up in. However, amongst all this sadness and violence, there are still good stories that emerge.  The young black child that went to his local police department last week to give the police officers "free hugs", the Ohio police officer that drove the young man over a hundred miles to his family after his sister was killed in a car accident, the passing of anti-BDS measures across New Jersey, these are the stories that bring me hope.

I do find it hard sometimes to feel hope, I think we all do when we are faced with tragedy after tragedy. But then we must remind ourselves, and each other about the goodness that exists.  People can be good if we just give them a chance. If we don't jump to conclusions, if we treat each other with respect, if we tolerate, and hopefully one day accept each of our differences, we can be the catalyst to making this country and world a wonderful place to bring our children into and raise a family. At the end of the day that is all I really want: I want my children to be happy and feel safe. May this New Year bring you peace, health and happiness. From my family to yours, Shana Tova.

Reflection on 9/11

Words can not truly describe the emotions that I experienced this past weekend. September 11th is such a solemn day in history. It is almost impossible, especially if you live in the NYC area, to wake up on September 11th and not immediately be brought back to that day in 2001.

So many of us were affected that day. Some more than others, but around the NYC area, we were all touched somehow.  Knowing that I was being honored at Yankee Stadium made the day exciting, but yet it was clouded by the events that occurred 15 years ago.  On top of that, to be presented with the Heroes for Tolerance award made it just that much more emotional. There was almost a guilt that I woke up with for being excited for the day.

First, in the "private suite" amongst our "closest 80 friends" I was honored to stand next to Ira Goldstein and Lisa Wisotsky and accept our awards. After the ceremony and brief words from dignitaries and leadership from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, we were escorted down to the field to be announced in front of the entire stadium. 

Wow, is all I can say.

Forget the fact that we were standing on the field at Yankee Stadium, forget about the fact that we were projected on the jumbo screen and forget about the fact that it was televised live on the YES network, the most amazing part of the whole experience was the fact that I was even there. It was beyond humbling to be included amongst the real heroes of 9/11. A group of people in the military were on the field with us. We had the extreme honor of meeting them and even taking some pictures. When they asked us what we were representing, I have to admit I got a little embarrassed. I told them that we had been given the Heroes of Tolerance award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, but then I quickly added that the true heroes of the day were them.  Without them and without their selfless act of serving our country none of us would be able to be here.  I then got to see NYC finest walk on the field, police officers that risk their lives everyday to protect each and every one of us.  These are my heroes.

After the day, on my way home, I got a text from one of my closest friends that attended the ceremony.  9/11 has always been a hard day for her to get through.  I will share one small part of the text that moved me to tears:

"I will always remember 9/11 for what happened in 2001, but now it will mark the day that my friend was able to inspire the world."

People experience tragedy everyday. People experience hatred every day. My only hope out of all of this is that the message of tolerance will slowly begin to heal the wounds that have been cast, and that, hopefully, we can start to affect change, one person at a time.

#Together we will #NeverForget!!

Thank you to The Simon Wiesenthal Center!

"An important work. Ann Arnold's effort to both tell their tale of her family's survival during the Holocaust while being a part of encouraging the next generation to embrace tolerance is inspiring."

-Michael Cohen, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center

Wow, is all I can say.  If you follow me on Facebook and have read my previous post, then you know how much I LOVE reading the reviews! It truly warms my heart and encourages me to continue to spread the message of Never Forget.

At the beginning of the summer, I had the pleasure to meet Michael Cohen, the Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.  For those that do not know who Simon Wiesenthal was, or what the center does, let me recap. Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor of the Nazi death camps who dedicated his life to hunting and bringing Nazi's to justice for their crimes and documenting the crimes of the Holocaust. The Simon Wiesenthal Center was founded in 1977 and is a "global human rights organization researching the Holocaust and hate in a historic and contemporary context. The Center confronts anti-Semitism, hate and terrorism, promotes human rights and dignity, stands with Israel, defends the safety of Jews worldwide, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations. With a constituency of over 400,000 households in the United States, it is accredited as an NGO at international organizations including the United Nations, UNESCO, OSCE, Organization of American States (OAS), the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) and the Council of Europe. (http://www.wiesenthal.com)". As you can imagine, this was quite an important meeting for me! 

Michael and I met at a Starbucks, and what I thought would be a quick coffee meeting, turned into such a wonderful two hour conversation. I learned so many great things that the Center is doing, was inspired by how it was started by Rabbi Hier and was motivated to keep speaking and spreading the word of Tolerance, Acceptance and Respect.  However, I was completely shocked, and never expected what came next. 

On September 11th at Yankee Stadium, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is having an event where they are honoring 3 people with the first Annual Heroes of Tolerance Award, and yep - you got it, they asked me to be one of the honorees!! As my kids say - OMG!!! I was floored, shocked, and deeply honored. It was beyond my wildest dreams that an organization like this would actually recognize what I am doing and trying to accomplish. 

I have to admit that over the last few weeks I have been reading more and more articles about the anti-Semitism that exist not only in this country, on college campuses and communities nearby, but also all around the world. I saw a video last week about college students in PA that had no idea what the Holocaust was, or even who Hitler was. How could that be?? I was in shock and it really threw me for a loop.  The other day I was quite down on everything. What am I doing? Will I actually be able to make a difference? Am I fighting a loosing battle? It was not a very good day.  I saw my dad the next day and shared my feeling with him. I asked him how he did it? Did he ever feel and live with the gripping fear that it will never end and that they will get us eventually? How did he go on each day with hope and a smile? His answer was quite simple - he was completely not shocked about the ignorance of these students - he actually said he would have been shocked if they knew anything. He told me how this is life, we will never change everyone nor should we expect to. We just have to keep spreading the message, keep doing what we are doing and keep putting one foot in front of the other and move forward.  My husband said it best - he told me to concentrate on affecting one person at a time.

So that is what I am going to do. I worked with a teacher over the summer and we wrote up a lesson plan to accompany the book for grades 8/9. The goal being that we know that the way we can affect change is by starting at the beginning, with our Youth.

I want to thank Michael Cohen, Rabbi Hier and Rabbi May (whom I had the pleasure of meeting a few weeks ago) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for bestowing this honor on me. I hope I can live up to the award and continue to spread the message of hope and get people to truly understand that by being a good person and by respecting one another we can overcome the hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism that exist.

This sums it up - we will keep doing what we are doing, and I hope he keeps smiling!

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!