Henia was born in 1925.
In 1941, her life became hell.
“Henia,” a Jewish girl, is a Holocaust Survivor—prisoner Number A26188.
She was a teenager at the “Majdanek Concentration Camp” during World War II.
As I watched this on TV, one story she told brought tears to my eyes.
I even looked around to ensure nobody was in the room with me.
I saw I was alone, and I freely let myself cry.
She tells of a friend at the Concentration Camp—a girl about her age who went missing on Henia’s 17th Birthday.
Henia didn’t know if her friend had gotten killed by the Nazis or got moved to another camp. Henia was very worried and upset, not to mention that it was Henia’s 17th Birthday.
Later that evening, her friend returned.
Henias friend hands Henia one piece of Bread and says, “Happy Birthday.”
Henia asks, “Where did you get a piece of Bread? How did you get a piece of Bread?”
The friend says that she worked at the Labor Camp that day so she could “earn” the piece of Bread to give to Henia for her Birthday.
Henia says that was the best Birthday Gift she ever received.
“I haven’t lived yet,” Henia thought to herself as a teenager at the Concentration Camp.
She decided what her goals in life were. To survive and have Children. Children to make up for all the Children murdered at the Camps.
And after Henia was Liberated, she had her goals.
Eventually, she did get married. She did have Children.
One day, Henia’s Grandson calls her.
He called her from the Majdanek Concentration Camp.
He was taking a tour of the Camp—the Camp Henia spent her 17th Birthday. —And it was his 17th Birthday.
He wished his Grandmother a Happy Birthday. She wished her Grandson a Happy Birthday. —And I cried.
Later, the Grandson toured Auschwitz Camp.
He called his Grandmother, Henia, back and told her he was at the front gate of Auschwitz and wanted to know which building and bunk was hers.
Henia knew exactly where to tell him to go and, over the phone, directed her Grandson to her building and bunk.
She went on to Marry and even became a School Principle.
She did have her Children.
She reached her goals.
When I started this, I was going to use Henia only as an example of something else I wanted to discuss.
Instead, though, I wanted to tell you a little about Henia.
I could write much more, but perhaps you will look her up for yourself if I don’t.
