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Today is #HolocaustMemorialDay and I’m reminded of my great-grandmother, who I was lucky enough to have in my life as my safe space and champion until her 90s. Her story of survival from Poland, to France, and finally to the US is one I’m grateful to have on paper.
Esther Rose Thumim was a remarkable woman. Fleeing Poland under Nazi occupation was no easy task. My great-grandparents saved my grandmother’s life in the process, while losing family along the way. They arrived in France when my grandmother was a small child.
When they came the US, through Ellis Island, my great-grandfather was sent to another state for quarantine, leaving my great-grandmother to work and take care of my grandmother alone for years before he was released and came back to New York.
I’m leaving out a lot of details between Poland and France because it’s a difficult thing to discuss or share, but I’m sure you can find some pieces if you search through my timeline. I think I’ve shared some of it, although it’s been a while.
My great-grandmother holds a place in my heart that can never be replaced. She was the only person I felt safe around to open up about my child abuse. She protected me when I needed a place to hide and recharge, and she spoiled the hell out of me.
Her passing was especially tough. I last saw her leading up to my 27th birthday, and although she was unable to speak or physically acknowledge it, I knew my visits were uplifting for her. She passed away the morning after that birthday. It was devastating. 😢
And while she was not one of the millions of people killed at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust, many friends & family were. She lived her life in their memory, caring for her friends & family as if they were the friends & family she lost on her journey through war.
For my family, #WeRemember and we will #NeverForget Esther Rose Thumim, and we will never forget the atrocities that millions suffered through during the Holocaust so that we can say, with confidence, #NeverAgain 
