Judith Meisels of Ocean Township, who was born in Hungary, survived the war years in Budapest.
Photo by Jill Huber
May 20, 2008
More than 400 members of the area’s Jewish community gathered to commemorate those who perished in the Holocaust, to honor those who survived, and to pay tribute to those who saved lives.
The event, held at the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center in Deal on April 30, took place on the eve of Yom Hashoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Yom Hashoa is a sacred day on the Jewish calendar,” said Rabbi Gordon Yaffe, religious leader at Temple Beth El of Oakhurst and one of the event planners. “We worked hard to get rabbis and cantors from Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform congregations to join together, and I’m thrilled that such a large cross-section of the community came together.”
The outpouring of respect for the victims and survivors was a fitting tribute, said Rabbi Andrew Bloom, religious leader of Congregation B’nai Israel of Rumson.
“This is time for the Jewish community and the general community to be as one,” said Bloom. “It’s the time to honor both those who lost their lives and the survivors. By remembering those who died too young and those who were able to rebuild their lives, we learn the value of courage.”
Among the event’s sponsors were the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County, the Ruth Hyman JCC, the Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, Congregation Agudat Achim of Freehold, Congregation Brothers of Israel of Long Branch, B’nai Israel, Congregation Kol Am of Freehold, Monmouth Reform Temple of Tinton Falls, Temple Beth El, Temple Beth Miriam of Elberon, and Temple Beth Torah of Ocean.
During the observance, 10 students from throughout the state read excerpts from their winning submissions to Flowers from the Ashes, an anthology of student writings and artwork about the Holocaust that was published by Brookdale’s Holocaust center. Each attendee received a copy of the book, which was funded by the B’nai Shalom/Beth El Foundation of Temple Beth El.
“It was interesting for the Jewish community to hear the thoughts and perceptions of the younger generation, some of whom are not Jewish,” said Dale Daniels, the Holocaust center’s executive director. “All of the students whose work is in the anthology have integrated the Holocaust into their lives. They all wrote about humanity and they’ve taken an individual responsibility to oppose genocide and racism anywhere in the world.”
As Rabbi Michael Goldstein, religious leader of Beth Torah, recited a poem entitled “Just Like Me,” participating children began to rise, one by one, and read the names of more than 100 Holocaust victims.
“These voices merged into a chorus of names from a list that’s nearly endless,” said Goldstein. “And the poem, which begins with the words ‘Those victims of man’s hatred were children just like me, and those who once had normal lives were children just like me,’ was extremely powerful. The children of the Holocaust could have been children from anywhere who had innocent souls.”
Chaim Wishnick of Interlaken fled from his home in Poland in 1941 and hid in Siberia until 1944, when he returned to his homeland.
“I lost my whole family,” said Wishnick, who came to the United States in 1949. “I have to be here now to show support and to show that I survived.”
Judith Meisels, a pianist and piano teacher in Ocean Township, also relived painful memories. Born in Budapest, she remembered hiding in the rear section of her parents’ jewelry store as well as in a safe house that had been secured by the Swedish diplomat Raul Wallenberg. She also stayed at the Swiss Red Cross headquarters in the city — across the street from the Gestapo offices.
After her parents eventually were captured by the Gestapo and sent to labor camps (both survived), the young girl was left alone during a bitterly cold winter.
“I saw my mother and father dragged away and I was left on my own,” said Meisels, who came to the United States in 1956. “I hid at the homes of neighbors, in basements, and with anyone, anywhere, that would give me a place to hide. There was no heat and very little food, and I was so afraid that the Nazis would find me.”
While in hiding, she saw German soldiers march several hundred Jewish children to the banks of the Danube River. Most of the children were shot and thrown into the water, she said.
After the Soviet army liberated Budapest in 1945, she was reunited with her parents, but discovered that other family members and friends had been exterminated.
“Budapest was burning, but still I survived,” said Meisels. “Now, I speak about the Holocaust to educators and to students at high schools and colleges. It’s difficult to speak for the dead, but the survivors are really the only people who can do this. I owe it to them and to every person, Jewish or gentile, who helped to save my life.”
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