Family Remembering Family..

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020

“If we held a moment of silence for every victim of the Holocaust we would be silent for eleven and a half years.”

This evening, April 20th 2020, marks the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day or 'Yom HaShoah'.

In that devastating catastrophe that decimated the European Jewish community during the Second World War, my grandmother lost most of her family. The only family names my mother knew were her father's, her mother's first name; 'Helena,' and mums own descendants.

Separated from Helena shortly after her birth in 1943, mum didn't meet my grandmother again until the mid 60's. Following this reunion, she wrote poignantly 'My mother's sister, somewhere in Canada. The rest all murdered, or so I believe'

Over the past 5 years, Helena's sister, Irena's descendants, have been traced, living in the USA, and we have recovered some of the names of family members who perished in the Holocaust. We have come together, as a family to read their names. We will remember each of them.

Included in this remembrance is Holocaust survivor, Adam Adams (Izrael Melamed). Adam reads the names of his beloved parents and sisters. Whilst we read names to which we have no faces, Adam remembers; he alone survived.

In this strange time of lockdown, let us remember those who had no hope, who were isolated, starved, hidden, hunted down and murdered, and let us stand with those incredible survivors who after losing everything, continued in life and gave hope to the next generations.

#RememberingFromHome #ShoahNames #FragmentsThatRemain #YadVashem

Passport to the past

March 6th 2020

I received the most incredible gift on Wednesday this week from my lovely cousin Renata - my grandmother's wartime Passport which enabled her to flee occupied Europe. Looking at the stamps, different Visa's and border crossings I am finally able to work out some of her route. One particular Nazi stamp, giving her permission to cross the Reich, left me cold. How must she have felt, waiting at Arnoldstein on the Austrian border for a German soldier to give her permission to cross?

My grandmother, Helena Lis, lost many of her family during the Holocaust, including her brother Henryk, who never made it out. I feel a tremendous sense pride and admiration that this diminutive woman, who had never had to 'do for herself' as she explained to my mother, found the courage to face the terror and complete the journey, arriving in the UK in July 1940. Of course, the alternative, staying in Poland, would have almost certainly meant death.

Her story didn’t end there.. after joining the Polish Army under British command and giving up her only child to continue to fight, Helena suffered further devastating losses, never shaking the fear she experienced whilst in occupied Europe, which continued until her death, alone in a Nursing home, at the age of 98 in 2000. Following WW2 she became terrified of being 'found by the Russians' sadly living in fear of betrayal by her own Polish community. Who could she trust? The devastation of war continues long after it ceases.

Following her death, her passport and ID papers were sent to her beloved nephew James in the USA, and given to me by his daughters. ..I am now honoured custodian of this incredible piece of history, without which none of Helena's descendants may exist. Its hard to decribe how it feels to hold so much history in my hands..Thank you, Renata!

My grandmother’s wartime Passport which literally saved her life and enabled ours