No Jewish person should feel passed over on Passover. Particularly not someone like Holocaust survivor Esther Silver, who spent three years in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.
“The hardest time for (survivors) is when the holidays come around,” Silver said. “Especially for those of us who live alone. You remember so many things about your family. You remember the food and the family gathering together for dinner.”
Silver, a petite woman in her mid-80s with sparkling brown eyes, talked Sunday about the volunteers who began delivering fruit baskets to the homes of Omaha's Holocaust survivors about six years ago. The deliveries are made near Passover, Rosh Hashana and a midwinter holiday of Tu B'Shevat.
“It means companionship and caring,” Silver said. “It means being able to pick up a phone later and talk with someone when you need to talk.”
Beth Seldin Dotan, director of the Institute for Holocaust Education, said 18 gift baskets were delivered over the weekend in the Omaha area. Members of her organization take turns making the visits.
“We recognized a few years ago that we need to try and reach out more often,” Dotan said. “So, three times a year, a volunteer will stop in to have a visit and see how things are going, wish them a good holiday.”
Of all the Jewish holidays, Passover is the most commonly observed. According to a National Jewish Population Survey, more than 80 percent of Jews have attended a Passover dinner.
The primary observances of Passover are related to the ancient Hebrews' exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This year, Passover begins Monday at sundown.
Silver, who was born in Benzin, Poland, said her parents and four siblings all died in German concentration camps. In 1942, Silver was sent to a camp near Oberstadt, Germany, and remained there until 1945.
“I think of it every day when I'm happy and when I'm sad,” she said. “It's a part of life.”
She met her husband, Norman, who survived Auschwitz, after the war, while both of them were searching for relatives in Benzin. The couple married and in 1949 came to Omaha, where they raised two sons.
Norman Silver died 20 years ago. The sons, Michael and Ed, now live on the West Coast. Esther Silver now celebrates holidays at the home of a special friend and her family.
Silver's brown eyes glistened with tears as she recalled the happy days before the war when she gathered with her own family to celebrate Passover.
“We had a small home, so (dinner) was just with us and not all of the other relatives,” she said. “But everybody did something for the dinner. We loved each other so much.”
Dotan said the major Jewish holiday celebrations are closely connected with food.
“When you think of these holidays, you recall how the house smells as everything for dinner is prepared,” Dotan said. “Food is such a big part of Jewish life and the holidays. That's why we decided to do fruit baskets.”
The volunteers, Dotan said, come away with much more than they deliver.
“We appreciate (the survivors) so much for what they've done within the community,” she said. “This is a great chance for us to really stop and speak with these people who are part of history.”
A part of history that Silver said must never be allowed to happen again.
“When you see things like the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan, those are terrible events, but they are part of nature,” Silver said. “The Holocaust was the work of a madman who killed six million innocent people for nothing.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
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